I Found
by princesweetpea
Summary: "You make me so angry so quickly, it's remarkable." Sweet Pea spat. "I'm not even the one that said something." Rory retorted defensively. "Yet here I am, boiling with hate."
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

The ceiling light of the hospital's small examination room flickered, making that dull buzzing sound of electricity that was about to go out. Aurora Jones sat rigid in her seat, occasionally shaking from her nerves. She felt so _sick_. So, so numb.

"Rory—" Her brother began before the door flung open. A nurse quickly shuffled into the room with another woman in tow, who shut the door quietly behind her. The nurse gently stated that she needed to go over a few things with them before they could finish paperwork, and how sorry she was to inconvenience them during this difficult time. Peter glanced over to Rory, who just stared straight ahead into nothingness, before answering the nurse's questions. Rory had them completely tuned out, only hearing the ringing of the unclarity of their voices in her ears. She shivered again. After a while, she focused her hearing.

"Is there a next-of-kin that we need to notify?" The nurse asked.

"It's just us." Peter stated, staring blankly into the void as he absentmindedly squeezed his sister's hand. Rory snapped back to reality.

"My uncle," Rory choked out hoarsely. Her throat was froggy from being silent for so long. "FP Jones." The nurse nodded and made her way to the door.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed before the nurse had dipped out of the room. She saw Peter shaking hands with the woman who remained in there with them. The woman's other arm held a thick black binder with papers sticking out of it.

_Was it supposed to happen this way? First my best friend, and not even a couple weeks later, my own mother? Why wasn't I crying? Why hadn't I cried?_

"Miss Jones,"

_Am I a sociopath?_

"_Miss Jones!_" She was snapped to reality by the shrill voice of the woman in front of her. She mumbled an apology sheepishly. "Since you're still underage, you'll be sent into foster care," Rory rapidly shook her head in both protest and utter confusion. "Unless you'd rather be with your uncle?" She suggested. "He has a record... but he is your only surviving family. I don't know for certain if they'll allow it."

"Can I not live with my brother and my dad?" She asked quizzically.

"Unfortunately, no, his father isn't biologically related to you, and he and your mother split up long before her untimely death so he isn't technically considered your stepfather," The woman stated, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Rory stared blankly at the woman in front of her. What did she mean they weren't biologically related? "I'm sorry, I thought you would have known that. You didn't find it odd that you two have different last names?" She asked condescendingly.

"They told me that they had a fight during our birth, and Peter was born first, before the fight. She said that by the time that they made up my birth certificate was already finalized, and it cost too much to have it changed," Rory stated vacantly. Peter shifted stiffly. Her mind began to race, but she somehow managed to shove it to the back of her mind when the woman rudely snapped her fingers in front of her face. Peter hadn't said a word. "Did you know about this?" She asked, her words dripping with agony.

"I found out a couple of months ago." He sighed before burying his head into his hands. She felt like the knife in her chest had been twisted. He'd known for months and he didn't bother to tell her, her own twin brother… She felt _betrayed_.

"Well apparently I'm the last to know important details about my own identity," Rory scoffed with tears welling up in her eyes. She clenched her fists, almost relishing in the pain of her nails digging into her palms to calm her nerves. "I'm not going to live with a bunch of strangers, so don't even think about putting me in a home," Rory said ardently. "Why can't I live at my house?"

"Despite the fact that you're a minor— "

"I'm seventeen!"

"That isn't the legal age of adulthood," she sighed, rubbing her temples with her fingertips. "Like I was saying, despite the fact that you're a minor, you guys were already several months behind on rent."

"So, you would put an _orphan_ on the streets?" She asked, shooting daggers at Peter on the word "orphan." He avoided eye contact.

"No, I would put an orphan with surviving family or a foster family, like I gave you the choice of. To be completely honest, your landlord was extremely gracious to let you both continue to live there rent-free for as long as you did," The woman suggested. Rory never bothered to learn her name. She had more important things to worry about, like if she was a sociopath or not, and who the fuck she's been calling "dad." "So, we can try to place you with your uncle, then?"

"Yes, make it happen. Please." The ugly truth was that she was conflicted. Her mother worked her entire life to keep them out of the southside, away from the crime and gangs that she grew up around. She worked double shifts for them to barely scrape by living in a small house on the edge of the northside. And now it seemed like all of her hard work was for nothing. There was too much piling on at once. She needed to interrogate Peter, and to confront her "father," but she couldn't deal with that right now. Not now. _It's all too much._

Clouds of cigarette smoke enveloped Rory as she stepped into the White Wyrm. Rock music, laughter, and the _clack_-ing sound of pool balls seemed to shake the space from the ground up. She made her way to the bar.

"Ava? I haven't seen you here in ages! You look great." The bartender called to her. She sucked in a sharp breath and looked behind her to see if there was someone else there, and that it was just a coincidence. But no one was there, it was just her.

"I'm not Ava," She rasped, her voice kind of breaking mid-sentence. She still couldn't cry. Even at the sound of her name. "I'm her daughter."

The barkeep's smile grew even wider, though she couldn't understand why considering she had never seen this man in her life. "Little Aurora, right?" Rory gaped at him for a moment.

"Uh, yeah. Rory is fine. Though not quite little." She awkwardly chuckled and glanced around anxiously.

"Oh, sorry. I made you uncomfortable. I met you a couple times when you were a little girl. Before your mom stopped coming, that is. How is Ava, by the way?"

Her eyes darted down to her thumbs as she twiddled them idly. "She passed away... a couple days ago." He went silent and his smile quickly disappeared. The man shifted uncomfortably.

"I... I am so sorry to hear that. I'm not the best at comforting people... Can I get you a drink instead?" He offered, trying to joke some light to the uncomfortable situation he had just placed himself in.

"I'm only seventeen," She half smiled. "I'll have a Shirley Temple though," His smile crept back onto his face. "... What?" She asked hesitantly.

"It's just that that's what your mom used to order when we were all teenagers, when she was pregnant with you." Rory smiled at him. She was instantly grateful for that smile coming back onto his face, for that little tidbit of information about her mother that made her insides feel warm, and her eyes welled up. _This is it,_ she thought. _I'm finally going to cry. I'm not a sociopath._ Then... nothing. "I'm Hog Eye, by the way." He extended his hand. She didn't let the nickname throw her. Being somewhat close to the "culture" of the Serpents made the things like weird nicknames familiar to her. She shook his hand gingerly.

Suddenly, the doors of the Wyrm burst open and two boys swaggered toward the bar. They were loud, pushing each other over and joking around obnoxiously. They looked familiar, most likely from the new wave of students that came over from Southside High a few months ago. They were shouting profanities toward the petite girl wiping down the bar, and she flipped them off before starting a conversation with them. The taller of the two boys caught Rory staring and she immediately snapped her head down to the Shirley Temple that Hog Eye had slid in front of her. She stirred the ice around with her straw.

"You lost, Northie?" She ignored him, fully knowing that he was addressing her. A bar stool scraped across the wood floor near the end of the counter before she heard shuffled movements coming her direction. "You hear me talking to you?" He said a little louder.

"Leave her alone, dude." The pink-haired girl from behind the bar rolled her eyes. She gave Rory an apologetic look. Her eyes were big and soft, and she seemed to be truly genuine with her expression. The boy scoffed at her with a smirk and leaned against the counter next to Rory.

"I asked if you were lost. You deaf?"

"And what if I was? What would you do?" Rory turned to him with an amused expression. He gazed at her with his mouth slightly agape for a moment as he tried to grasp for a response. "Right." She snorted before taking a sip of her drink. A thick black curl hung loosely between his furrowed eyebrows.

"Sweet Pea, cut it out. She's having a hard time." The girl piped in again. Rory was kind of annoyed that she had eavesdropped on her and Hog Eye's conversation, but then again, they were in the center of a bar and weren't talking in privacy.

"Sweet Pea?" Rory raised an eyebrow with a smirk, turning toward the boy with her entire body now. She needed this distraction. Even if it was sure to turn out as an annoying encounter.

"Yeah, don't let the name fool you." He replied flatly.

"He's a dick." The other boy spoke up for the first time, then grunted when Sweet Pea kicked backward, hitting the boy in the thigh. He pushed Sweet Pea's shoulder in return, but his eyes never left hers and he didn't even budge, aside from his shoulder jerking forward.

"If you're going to be in my house, I need to know who I'm letting in." He huffed.

"My name is Aurora. My _friends_ call me Rory," she sighed, deciding to humor him. Sweet Pea snorted mockingly. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Is something funny?"

"Aurora? You mean... like the Disney princess?" She rolled her eyes at his response.

"At least I'm not named after a vegetable." She muttered. The two other teenagers laughed. Sweet Pea crossed his arms over his chest as he mumbled for the others to shut up through gritted teeth.

"I'm Toni Topaz. This is Fangs Fogarty." The girl piped in and motioned with her elbow as she wiped out a pint glass. Fangs gave a lazy salute with a coy smile. Sweet Pea was visibly growing increasingly more agitated.

"Look, Northsider, you aren't welcome here —"

"Sweet Pea!" A loud voice boomed from across the room. "Are you giving my niece a hard time? Where is your Serpent hospitality?" The room grew nearly silent aside from the music as FP filed toward us. Sweet Pea's jaw instantly went slack as Fangs slowly walked backward, knocking a barstool over. Sweet Pea quizzically looked from Rory, to FP, and back again. She smiled sweetly.

"Did I mention that I'm a Jones?"


	2. Chapter 2

One

_"You're late!" Midge exclaimed playfully as Rory approached the booth where she sat in the relatively empty Chock'lit Shoppe. Rory laughed, mumbling a brief apology before sliding into the booth. Midge already had a milkshake of Rory's flavor choice waiting for her. She immediately took a sip, relishing in the cold, creamy strawberry deliciousness. Midge smiled at her briefly before it faded into a frown._

_ "What's wrong?" Rory asked, growing concerned. Midge's eyes scanned Pop's to make sure there was no one eavesdropping before sighing._

_ "I just don't know what to do about Moose," she put her chin in her hand and stirred her milkshake absentmindedly. "I love him, but something is just… off. But with Fangs… Oh, Rory, with Fangs it feels so right. The passion. The spark. The hunger –"_

_ "Okay, I don't need to know that part!" Rory laughed before reaching across the table to grab her hand. Midge smiled before it quickly faded away again. "Do you love Fangs?"_

_ "No, I don't think so. But he gives me something that Moose just… doesn't. Even before, when things were good, it just felt odd. Awkward. Clunky," she shrugged and shook her head. "What do I do?"_

_ "I think you need to be honest with Moose. It isn't fair to keep lying to him, especially when he's being faithful to you. You guys need to talk about it." Rory squeezed her hand sympathetically._

_ "Yeah, you're right… as always," She rolled her eyes and sniffled. Rory grinned and looked down into her milkshake and took another sip. "Do you think I'm a sinner?"_

_ "A sinner?" Rory snorted, almost spitting her milkshake back down into the cup. "What the hell are you talking –" She looked up to meet Midge's eyes. She was cut off by her own blood-curdling scream. Her best friend's cold, dead eyes emptily stared back at her. Blood and decay covered her face and body. Five knives were plunged into her torso, and two pairs of scissors pinned her arms in a "T" into the back of the booth._

_ "I am back from the dead," Midge's corpse hissed monotonously. "All those who escaped me before will die."_

Rory sprang up from the bed in strained sobs, screaming from the flashes in her head. Jughead burst through the door with his switchblade flicked out, his hair disheveled and one eye half-closed. Once he saw that there was no physical threat, he put the knife away. FP pushed past him and held his niece tightly to his chest, stroking her hair in attempt to calm her. Jughead sat on the end of the bed. She had stopped screaming, but the sobs carried on. She thought of the couple of nights that this occurred when her mother was alive, before her death. How her mother would climb into bed with her and stay with her the rest of the night. But she was gone too. And she wouldn't have even been gone if Midge weren't gone in the first place. She sobbed harder. After a while, FP convinced Rory to lay back down. He moved to the chair in the corner of the small room and nodded for Jughead to leave before laying his head back. He stayed there for the rest of the night.

In the morning, Rory rubbed her swollen eyes and headed down the hall toward the kitchen. Living with Jughead and FP was… different for Rory. When she arrived, it was clear that the trailer was in a state of constant disarray from the busy lives of the two men that lived there, but Rory had started to clean things up to keep herself busy when she wasn't at school. It had been a few months since she started living there, but the nightmares hadn't gone away. It was always the same dream over and over, an "alternate" ending to the very real last conversation she and her best friend had before the musical that fateful night.

"Hey sugar," Gladys chirped. Rory smiled faintly at her formerly estranged aunt and mumbled a "good morning." "How'd you sleep?"

"Like a baby." Rory smirked bitterly. She _knew_ she had heard her screaming last night. If both FP and Jughead heard her, there was no way that Gladys and Jellybean hadn't. They hadn't even been back in town for long and Rory was already done with the whole situation. Something felt wrong about her presence. Plus, she and Rory's mom had never gotten along, so Gladys had almost the same passive-aggressive attitude toward her most of the time.

"Good," Gladys smiled, taking a sip of her black coffee. "FP is out back. He has something to show you." Rory gave a tight-lipped nod in response and exited the trailer. It was a bit nippy outside, and she was only wearing a cotton tee and some pajama pants. She crossed her arms over her chest. She heard some banging noises from behind the trailer so she followed them. FP stood among a medium sized Airstream camper trailer with the doors and windows wide open, and a few packed boxes sprawled around on the ground outside of it.

"What's all of this?" Rory spoke up, as FP hadn't noticed her standing there. He looked up and beamed at her, immediately walking in her direction.

"Hey squirt, how are you feeling this morning?" He asked, pulling her into his side and giving her a chaste kiss on the forehead.

"I'm okay," she smiled up at her uncle. "How's your back?" She asked sheepishly.

"Oh, don't worry about me. Me and that chair are very well acquainted. Jellybean used to have nightmares when she was a little girl." He reassured her. She suddenly felt very burdensome. She had been sleeping in Jellybean's room since she moved in, but now that they were back in town, Jellybean had been sleeping on a cot in the living room.

"I think JB and I should switch living arrangements. It's her room after all." Rory insisted.

"That actually brings me to the reason I had you come out here," FP grinned, pulling her with him toward the Airstream. "Your mom didn't like living in the trailer with me and our old man when she was a teenager. 'Hostile environment,' and all that. I don't blame her," he sighed and absentmindedly rubbed his jaw thinking just how hostile that environment could be most of the time. He shook his head to get the memories out. "This was hers. I kept it when she left, just in case she ever wanted to come back… Now it's yours."

"Mine?" She blinked at him, dumbfounded. He gave a nod and motioned for her to go inside.

"Check it out. I got most of the boxes out, and we can take out anything else you want," FP suggested as she looked around. She oddly felt like she was giving her mom a hug, just being inside the eclectic trailer. It was almost untouched by time, aside from all of the dust. It made her feel… Happy. She turned to her uncle and gave him a sudden, almost rib-crushing hug. He stumbled backward slightly and froze for a second before hugging her back. She mumbled a thank you into his chest. "You now have your own space. There's a mini fridge that I had laying around, and the bathroom is back in the little 'room' behind the bed, but you'll have to come inside for meals and showers, and to hang out with us, of course." He chuckled.

"Thank you so much Uncle FP. I don't know what to say." Rory sniffed. He waved his hand to stop her from thanking him. Her phone buzzed in the pocket of her pajama pants. She rolled her eyes when she pulled it out and looked at the screen. Two texts from Peter to add to the however many unanswered previous messages. She hadn't spoken to him in a few months, since her mom's funeral.

"You should talk to him. He's been coming around and asking for you," FP sighed. Rory scoffed in return. "He lost her too." She sighed and wiped a tear from her cheek, hesitating before finally texting him to meet her at Pop's in an hour. FP rubbed her shoulder, then ducked out of the trailer. Not much time passed before Jughead appeared at the door and knocked on the frame before coming inside.

"Nice camper. Very… Bohemian." Jughead chuckled, looking around the camper. He had never been in here before. In fact, the only knowledge he had of it before was that it was behind the trailer covered in tarps his whole life.

"Thanks," Rory laughed, curling up into one of the two armchairs. "It's all my mom's stuff. I almost feel like I'm in a museum. I'm too afraid to touch anything because I might knock it over." Jughead furrowed his brows and moved to sit in the chair adjacent to his cousin.

"You need to make it your own," he began carefully. "This is_ your_ space. _You_ live here now." She nodded with a sigh and thanked him. He patted her shoulder in return.

When Rory walked into Pop's, she could already see Peter waiting in a booth. She furrowed her brow and looked down at her phone at the time. She was early. He was even earlier. She frowned and started walking in his direction, and asked Pop Tate for her usual as she passed him at the counter. She suddenly came into contact with a body, which made her stumble backward, but the person didn't budge at all.

"Watch where you're going, _princess._" Sweet Pea scoffed, pushing past her.

"Fuck off." Rory spat as she rolled her eyes and flipped him off, anger bubbling in her chest. She took a deep breath before sliding into the seat across from her brother. He already had her milkshake waiting for her.

"You're late." He teased as he watched Sweet Pea exit the building with narrowed eyes.

_"You're late!" Midge exclaimed playfully._

Rory shook the flashback out of her head and pushed the milkshake away from her slightly. Peter frowned. "I'm early. You're _too_ early." She retorted, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back against the seat.

"How are you?" Peter asked timidly. Rory smiled bitterly.

"_Peachy,_" she laughed. She took a breath. _He lost her too. _"How are you?"

He shifted to gaze out the window. "Peachy." They sat in silence for a moment. _What am I doing? _Rory thought to herself.

"Let's talk about it." Rory sighed, placing her folded hands on the table. He continued to stare out the window, but she saw a single tear slip down his cheek.

"It was my fault," He rasped out before clearing his throat and wiping his face. "If I had just skipped the movie at the Bijou and went with her to the fucking store, none of this would have happened. I could have held them back. I could have pulled her out of the way of the crowd. She wouldn't have tripped and wouldn't have been… I could have just —" His voice broke as he choked out a silent sob. Rory furrowed her brow, shaking her head. Her heart felt like it broke all over again just watching the sight in front of her. She reached across the table to grab his hand and squeezing it.

_Rory laughed before reaching across the table to grab her hand. Rory squeezed her hand sympathetically._

Rory gasped and jerked her hand back as if she'd been shocked. She shook the memory out again. It felt like her lungs had just collapsed and her heart rate was rising significantly. Peter quickly reached across to grab her hand before it got too far. He faced her now, looking her in the eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Aurora. I'm sorry that our mom is gone because of me, and I'm so sorry I didn't tell you about dad. I have been _so angry_ about it and had to keep it to myself, because we were 'never supposed to know.' I've been so hurt. You're not the only one that was hurt by it! I _am _your biological twin brother. _We_ are related. And I'm the one that's stuck without you because 'dad' has legal custody over me. I've been _drowning _without you." He sobbed quietly, making sure not to attract extra attention from the other patrons of the restaurant. Rory stared back at him, silent tears streaming down her face.

"It isn't your fault. You're okay." She cooed as she squeezed his hand. A waitress came by and put food on the table in front of them. Peter quickly wiped his face and cleared his throat, but Rory didn't even bother. Peter stared down into his food, absentmindedly playing with his scrambled eggs. It remained silent between them for a while until Rory lifted a piece of bacon and playfully tried to "force feed" it to him. He laughed and took the bacon from her hand.

"I missed you." He smiled.

"I missed you, too, you freak of nature."


	3. Chapter 3

Two

"So… what's it going to be like for you to be living in your girlfriend's old house?" Rory chuckled awkwardly as she set a box down on Jughead's new desk. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'd rather not be in this situation at all, honestly. Maybe it would be different if my mom got the money without all this drug shit, and with actual good intentions. I don't know. The only 'good' thing about this, the way I see it, is that we're no longer packed in like sardines," He stated sarcastically, opening a box labeled "books." Rory nodded and watched him carefully. She knew how stressful this situation was for him and Betty. He stared down blankly into the box for a few moments.

"Jug?"

He snapped out of his trance and looked up at her. He mumbled a quick apology before holding up _The Nancy Drew Secret Code_ book. Rory shifted uncomfortably.

"Jughead, why do you have that?"

"Betty didn't want anything to do with it after… you know," he replied and shot her an apologetic look. "We were going to burn it, but time escaped us with Archie's trial and everything else that started happening." Rory honestly hadn't even immediately thought of this as the Black Hood's house. Perhaps her subconscious made the decision for her to only think of it as Betty and Alice's. Jughead immediately shoved the book back into the box. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I understand," she sighed and sat down on his bed, and then paused for a moment. "I never thanked you."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I never thanked you, or Betty, for catching him… Though I don't exactly know how to thank someone for finding out that their father is a psychotic serial killer. I know that Midge would have been grateful, too." Rory shrugged and looked out the window. She could see Archie going at it with his punching bag in his room. He stepped back after a particularly hard swing and noticed her gaze through the window. He gave her an awkward wave as his cheeks flushed. She smiled back at him.

"You don't have to thank us, what are you even talking about?" Jughead walked over to sit next to her. She shrugged and gave him a weak smile. He lightly elbowed her in return.

"We need to figure out how to get the Airstream over here, because you _know_ I'm not sleeping in this godforsaken house." Rory joked, changing the subject. Then the bedroom door suddenly swung open. Gladys's eyes appeared slightly over the box she was carrying. She cackled, causing the teens to exchange confused glances at each other before looking back to the woman who had just entered.

"Oh, that thing isn't coming over here. Sorry, babydoll, but it's an eyesore." She laughed, setting the box on the ground by the doorway.

"What… What do you mean?" Rory stammered, genuinely confused.

"There's no place for it here. It can't go on the street, or in the driveway. The neighborhood committee wouldn't allow it. There is no other place for it besides where it is right now." She stated. Rory stared at her aunt with her mouth slightly agape. She turned to Jughead, whose eyes were narrowed and his jaw was clenched.

"Can it go in the backyard, or something?" Rory pleaded softly.

"I just now got myself my first, nice backyard. There isn't enough room to have it back there." She insisted.

"Auntie, I really can't live in this house…" Rory stated, her knuckles turning a pale shade of white as her bones pressed tightly against her skin.

"Oh, I never expected you to. I can't imagine what living in your best friend's killer's house would do to you. _I'd_ never get any sleep if you did, for sure." She chuckled. Rory felt like she'd just gotten the wind knocked out of her by her aunt's words. Gladys had just confirmed that she had indeed been hearing Rory's screaming from her nightmares and couldn't care less about her wellbeing, and she so insensitively brought up Midge's death. It's like she was trying to get rid of her all along.

"Mom." Jughead warned lowly, standing up from his bed with his fists tightly made.

"What?" Gladys feigned innocence as she strode over to him and tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear, then exited the room. Rory blinked a few times, practically baring a hole into the floor with her stare. She had no words for what just unfolded.

"Rory, please ignore her. I do," Jughead offered, trying to break her from her trance. She shrugged in response. "We'll figure it out, okay? We'll talk to my dad." He stated, and she nodded in return.

"Hey, look who I ran into at Pop's!" Betty smiled as she stepped through the threshold with two boys. She carried two takeout bags full of burgers, Fangs and Sweet Pea towered behind her holding drink carriers. Rory and Sweet Pea locked eyes. He raised an eyebrow at her.

_"Princess."_ He addressed her mockingly.

"Can I please catch a break? Jesus Christ!" She groaned as she rolled her eyes.

"Actually, it's 'Sweet Pea,' but I'll take it." He responded with a smirk. Jughead and Betty shared an awkward look between them, one that Rory ignored as she pressed further.

"Well it's a good thing that I'm not a believer, because if I was, I would be _fucked_." Rory laughed bitterly.

"I don't think that would be the only reason that you'd be fucked." Sweet Pea immediately fired back.

"You're a fucking thorn in my side." Rory spat.

"More like a pea under your mattress, like 'Princess and the Pea.'" Fangs snorted, cracking up at his own joke before immediately stopping with a fake cough, due to Sweet Pea's glare.

"He'd would be so lucky to get anywhere _near _my mattress," She said sarcastically before turning to face Sweet Pea. "You're actually insufferable. You know that, right? Why are you even –"

"Let's eat!" Jughead interrupted, walking between the to of them over to Betty. He gave her a quick kiss before taking the bags from her.

Rory stood outside of her dad's house, kicking gravel around before pacing back and forth. She had been ignoring all of his calls and messages, and didn't even speak to him at the funeral seven months ago. But she had put this off for long enough. She needed to get it out of the way and finally discuss things with the only father that she has ever known. However, she'd been outside of this house for thirty minutes and still hadn't made any progress toward the door.

"I can't do this." She laughed bitterly to herself before turning to walk the other direction, back toward the Cooper – the _Jones' _household that was about a mile and a half away. The front door opened just as she was about to take her first step to toward her exit.

"Aurora?" Her _dad _called out to her. Still facing the other direction, Rory's lips pressed together into a tight line. "Aurora, is that you?" He sounded tipsy, but not quite drunk. She sucked in a breath through her teeth before turning on her heel toward him. His eyes lit up at the sight of her as he supported himself against the doorway, glass of scotch in hand.

"Lance." She said flatly, nodding once to him in acknowledgement. His beaming smile instantly fell and he straightened.

"Are you here to see Peter?" He asked, hopeful that it wasn't the case.

"Yes… Yes, I am." Rory lied. His expression seemed to sink further.

"He isn't here… He's with Lara." _Great._ The one time she needed to use her brother as an excuse, he was out with his girlfriend.

"Oh," She simply stated. They stood in silence for a moment. Rory began to panic. "Well, see you later."

"Wait!" He pleaded. "Would you like to come inside and wait for him? He'll be back in a bit. They're both coming here after they finish their dinner."

She nodded curtly after a moment, trotting up the steps of the porch and straight through the doorway without making eye contact. He reeked of alcohol when she passed him, and smelled like he hadn't showered. She moved to the living room that was straight off to the left side of the foyer, opting for the furthest seat from the place he _always_ sat. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when he took a seat where she predicted instead of trying to sit closer to her. They stayed in an extremely uncomfortable silence for several minutes, and Rory constantly found herself looking at the clock on the mantle of the fireplace. It seemed like time wasn't moving. She couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm going to go." She stood suddenly, which even surprised herself. _Am I really chickening out?_

"Come on, stay. Let's catch up, talk about things. Please." Lance grasped at the fleeting moment with his only daughter, who had only said these few words to him for the first time in almost a year. A sudden anger surged through Rory and she quickly sat back down.

"Okay, you want to catch up? Let's!" She began, slapping her knees and plastering the fakest smile she could muster onto her tormented features. "Where shall we begin? The part where you took my siblings away from me when you and mom split? Or sticking me with a tumultuous time bomb of a woman for years in a run-down shithole we couldn't even afford, while you lived in this perfect house with my brothers? Or maybe we should go back to the very beginning? You know, the part where you're not even me and Peter's father! That part is _rich_. It really adds to the shitshow that is our lives. Please, take your pick. A _magnificent_ tragedy, I have become, don't you think?" She spouted in almost a complete blur, angry tears spilling down her cheeks. He sat silently and stared at her, looking like he'd been kicked in the ribs.

"I…" He began. She leaned forward and plopped her head onto her hand, pretending to be hanging onto every word that was about to come out of his mouth. "I am so sorry Aurora. For everything. God knows I have made mistakes, and that I have made your life difficult," He said softly, and she scoffed at the word 'difficult.' "I never intended for you to find out, not either one of you. Your mother and I intended for that to be our secret."

"Wow _Lance,_ that makes everything so much better. Thank you." She cackled. He winced at the use of his first name by her for the second time in that short timeframe.

"I may not be your father, but I am your dad. I raised you. I changed your diapers. I soothed you when you'd cry in the middle of the night. I taught you to ride a bike, and I put the bandages on when you'd fall and scrape your knee. I checked for monsters under the bed. And I never loved you any less than I would have if you were actually mine." He said genuinely with tears brimming his eyes. Rory couldn't keep eye contact with him. She looked away as she broke into heart wrenching sobs. He moved toward her, wrapping her into a tight hug, which made her sob even harder. Her tears broke his heart. Hell, her tears even broke her own heart. She calmed after a few minutes and avoided eye contact, unintentionally shifting her gaze to Lance's open laptop on the coffee table, where she could see a picture of her mother's beloved car under a "For Sale" post on Craigslist. She furrowed her brows and broke out of her dad's embrace.

"What the fuck is this?" She hissed, holding up his laptop toward him. His mouth opened, then closed again. He had nothing that he could say to diffuse the anger that she was about to throw at him.

"I need the money for your brother's boarding payment." He stated carefully, though obviously lying.

"Are you _joking_? Like hell, you need the money!" She said sarcastically, gesturing at the house they were in. "Take it down, that car is _mine and Peter's._" She demanded.

"I'm not taking it down." He sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. Rory scoffed in disbelief as she pushed herself up from her seat and stormed out of the house, the screen door banging closed behind her. She could hear him calling after her but she kept walking, glancing toward her mom's covered car off to the side of the driveway. As she passed it, Peter and Lara stepped out of Lara's car that had just pulled up.

"Rory –"

"Not now Peter. I'll see you later," she said adamantly as she walked past them. She pulled out her phone and dialed the only person she could trust with the situation at hand.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end of the phone said, muffled from the obvious chewing of food.

"Hey Jug, do you know how to hotwire a car?"

At midnight, on the dot, the sounds of two motorcycles and shifting gravel pulled Rory out of her unfocused, anxious leg jiggling. _Two motorcycles? _She shook her head. Her nerves must have been making her hear things. She pulled a black beanie over her messy brunette waves, completing her all black ensemble; she was ready to commit a crime, her first crime, and she was going to look damn good doing it. She gave herself one last anxious glance-over in the full-length mirror before grabbing her bag and heading out the camper door. And, sure enough, her mind _wasn't _playing tricks on her, for there stood Jughead Jones accompanied by Sweet Pea… _Whatever his last name is._

"What the hell is he doing here?" Rory hissed at her cousin.

"What? You asked if I knew how to hotwire a car. I don't. He does." He put his hands up in a defensive pose.

"WikiHow exists for a reason! You couldn't have thought of anyone else?" She whined.

"I'm literally standing right here," Sweet Pea stated flatly as he leant up against his bike, flicking his switchblade open and closed. "Do you want my help or not?"


	4. Chapter 4

Three

Rory rolled her eyes as she took the bag of tools from the back of Jughead's bike and slammed them onto Sweet Pea's. He raised his eyebrow at her mockingly.

"What? Don't want to ride with me?" He smirked.

"In your dreams." She mumbled, climbing onto Jughead's motorcycle and securing her arms loosely around his waist. She'd never ridden on a motorcycle before, but her nerves were replaced with annoyance at the cocky boy on the bike next to her.

"_Cheerleaders_." Sweet Pea grumbled, which caused Jughead to stifle a laugh. Rory jabbed her cousin in the ribs, which made him curse and jump slightly.

"Just drive." She instructed through gritted teeth, and he obliged, instantly revving up the engine and slowly pulling away. As they neared the house shortly after, the boys, who were driving side by side, looked to each other and nodded before turning off the headlamps to their respective bikes before slowing to a stop at the end of the driveway.

"That's it right there," she whispered, pointing toward the covered car at the top of the driveway near the house. After a moment she sighed. "How are we going to get it out of here exactly?"

"I'm here for a reason, am I not?" Sweet Pea scoffed.

"No, I mean that you guys both brought your bikes. Who's going to drive the car?" The boys exchanged confused glances before pointing at her. "I don't know how to drive." She threw her hands up in defense.

"Oh my god, you're useless." Sweet Pea laughed loudly. Rory opened her mouth to fire back, but Jughead held up his hand with an annoyed expression as he focused on the house. The two enemies shifted their attention to where Jughead's gaze was zeroed-in, and saw that a light had flicked on in the bedroom that Rory knew to be her father's. Her eyes widened and she tugged both boys by their leather jackets into the hedge to their right. They groaned, ending up piled on top of each other as Rory crouched safely beside them. Sweet Pea pushed Jughead off of him.

"Look," Jughead whispered after situating himself. "I'll drive, you can take my bike back. Okay?"

"I can't even drive a car, what makes you think I know how to drive a motorcycle? Before tonight, I've never even been on one of those." She sighed.

"We'll figure it out. I'm going to go scope it out. Stay here and wait for my signal." Jughead instructed before running in a crouch up the driveway.

"Completely useless." Sweet Pea rolled his eyes.

"Shut the hell up." She spat, balling her fists tightly. Her nails dug into her palms. She was _so_ ready to punch him in the jaw already.

"_You _shut the hell up." He retorted childishly with an amused smirk.

"Make me!" Rory replied, equally as childish, raising her voice slightly as her anger grew. He stayed silent for a moment, and his eyes never left Jughead as he waited for his signal.

"Fine, but you might moan a little." He stated simply before leaving the bush toward Jughead. Rory's mouth practically hit the dirt under her feet before her face twisted in disgust.

She shook the thought out of her head before following after the two boys. Jughead pulled the cover off of the car in a quick _swoosh _before pulling the Slim Jim tool out of the tool bag and jimmied it between the metal of the door and the window. He carefully pulled it up, unlocking the door of the driver side. Sweet Pea slid into the driver's seat and took some different tools from the bag: a hammer, a flat-head screwdriver, a phillips-head screwdriver, and wire cutters. He put gloves on before jamming the screwdriver into the ignition and tapping it into place with the hammer and then twisted it. Rory winced. She hadn't even considered the fact that this would definitely damage the car. Jughead noticed her reaction, and assured her that they would fix anything that needed to be fixed later, before signaling for Sweet Pea to continue. He took the phillips screwdriver and unscrewed the panels surrounding the steering wheel to give him access to the wires before snipping them with the wire cutters and tying the ends together, which created a couple sparks before the engine roared to life. Sweet Pea grinned at his handywork before Jughead slapped his shoulder with encouragement.

"So, I'll drive it to your old place in Sunnyside?" Sweet Pea asked Jughead, and just before he agreed, Rory practically choked on air.

"As if I'm letting you drive my mom's car." She scoffed. He raised his eyebrow at her quizzically. Jughead groaned.

"We're _not_ doing this right now. I'll drive the damn car. Rory, you're riding back with Sweet Pea."

"Like hell, I am." She scoffed.

"You're either riding with him or he's driving the car. Take your pick. We don't have time for this." Jughead demanded, pointing at the upstairs window's light that was now on again.

"Fine! Hurry up, you idiot." She grumbled before jogging toward Sweet Pea's motorcycle. Sweet Pea rested his head back against the head rest before cursing under his breath and climbed out of the car, walking in the same direction. He swung his leg over and sat down on his bike, but she hesitated, standing awkwardly with her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face. He shot her a bored look as he waited. She rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh before climbing on behind him, sitting as far back from him as she could. Her butt was practically hanging off of the back of the motorcycle.

"You're going to want to hang on." He said in an obvious tone.

"I'm good." She spat sarcastically.

"Suit yourself. Don't say I didn't warn you." He smirked before the engine purred on, and he sped off into the road. Rory squealed as she flew backward. Before she could fall off, Sweet Pea's arm reached behind and pulled her against his back. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his torso in a near death grip, her breaths heavy. She felt the vibrations of his laughter against her chest. She inhaled sharply, breathing in a slight scent of sweet, yet musky cologne._ He smells good, at least._ She cringed at the thought of how she held onto him, and kept her eyes screwed shut until he dropped her off back at her camper. Jughead arrived a few seconds after.

"See you around, _princess._" He smirked again, before revving his engine and speeding off. Jughead waved at her from the back of Sweet Pea's bike, sitting backward as he gripped onto the seat with his other hand. _If he smirks at me one more time…_

"Don't count on it." She uttered to herself before heading inside and taking the hottest shower she could bear to disinfect herself from being pressed up against the Serpent.

Since losing her mom and Midge within a couple weeks of each other, Rory had been detached socially. The remaining friends that she had left decided that she was "too much of a downer" to be around, so she had been a homebody for over half of a year. Jughead had done his best to constantly invite her out with him, Betty, and Archie, but she always declined. A couple days after stealing the car, however, Jughead wasn't having any of it.

"Get dressed." Jughead more than suggested, walking into the camper without knocking.

"Dude," Rory jumped slightly in surprise, clutching her chest. "I'm not going anywhere. I don't feel like it."

"Sorry, but you have no choice," he challenged her. "A few of the Serpents are having a little… soirée at the new HQ." She scrunched up her nose.

"I'm okay, thanks though."

"I don't care if you don't like the Serpents, or that you want to confine yourself to this tin can. Tonight, you're coming out and socializing. It'll be good for you. Maybe you'll even see a side of us that you would have never expected," He offered. "Plus, there will be free food and booze." Rory rolled her eyes and grinned.

"Say no more, I'll start a shower."

Despite it being a Serpent gathering, Toni and Cheryl sat cuddled up on one of the couches among everyone else. However, Jughead and the other members didn't seem to mind too much… at least, concerning Toni's presence. Cheryl's attendance was another story, due to the tension caused from The Pretty Poisons attacking Sweet Pea and Fangs a couple months prior. Rory, on the other hand, couldn't care less, except maybe about Fangs. Fangs was nice. Fangs was good.

Other than her cousin, she didn't really talk to anyone most of the time, aside from Betty, who was perched onto the arm of Jughead's chair while she stroked his hair lovingly. In all honesty, Rory solely came for the snacks and alcohol. She mostly stayed in a corner of the main room, practically glued to the armchair while she sipped on whatever the hell Fangs was making. All she knew was it was fruity and dangerous, since she couldn't even taste the alcohol in it. As the night went on, most of the Serpents had cleared out one by one, leaving Rory, Jughead, Betty, Fangs, Sweet Pea, Cheryl, and Toni. And so, Cheryl, being Cheryl, made possibly the most predictable, Cheryl-like suggestion.

"Let's play a little game," Cheryl grinned devilishly, grabbing an empty liquor bottle. "Truth or Dare with a twist. Pull out your Chapstick, dweebs. Everyone, sit in a circle." The way she spoke made it clear that it _wasn't _a suggestion. Jughead raised an eyebrow at her before rolling his eyes and turning to Betty for approval. He was too tipsy to protest and get into it with the crimson-haired vixen in front of him.

"Go ahead, I'll sit this one out." Betty smiled at him with an amused expression.

"Don't be silly, dear cousin. Those in relationships will only be kissing their partners, no matter who the bottle lands on. I would never disrespect mon amour that way by locking lips with one of you slime balls," She chirped before kissing Toni on the cheek. "You're playing." Betty rolled her eyes in return and slid down onto the floor next to Jughead.

"So, the only people that can kiss anyone else are Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Rory?" Toni asked with a humored grin. Fangs winked at Sweet Pea playfully, but Sweet Pea didn't notice. His eyes were fixated on Rory with a thoroughly irritated expression plastered on his face. A thick curl hung loosely between furrowed eyebrows. Rory was about to protest, but she did some quick math in her head and figured that there was only a 14% chance that the bottle would even land on her. Plus, kissing Fangs wouldn't be such a bad thing. He was handsome and nice. But… Midge. She frowned and shook the thought out of her head. _It's just a game. She wouldn't have cared. She would have gladly joined in._ She plopped onto the floor between Toni and Betty and chugged the rest of her drink. Cheryl smirked. She was fully aware of Sweet Pea and Rory's issues, but what could she say? She had an affinity for chaos. And she _definitely _wasn't a fan of Rory, and everyone knew that.

"Who's first?" Betty asked timidly.

"Since you were the first to chime in, spin away." Cheryl smiled sweetly, taking a sip of her vodka cherry. Betty tensed up before placing the bottle in the middle and spinning it clockwise. It spun quickly, blurring together to look like a disk. It slowed to a stop between Rory and Betty herself, so Rory would have to choose.

"Truth or dare?" Betty asked in a mocking tone before giving Cheryl some side-eye. Rory giggled at this and pretended to be deep in thought before choosing the latter option.

"Switch shirts with Toni." She laughed, seeming to not be able to think of anything else. Rory grinned and turned to Toni, who was on her right.

"Okay, we'll be right back." Rory shrugged before moving to get up, but Fangs stopped her.

"You have to do it right here. Sorry, but those are the rules." He _tsk_-ed playfully. She turned to her left with a confused expression. Betty shrugged with a grin, agreeing with Fangs. Jughead chuckled before covering his face with his hands. Rory rolled her eyes before tugging her shirt over her head and playfully tossed it at Toni before pulling Toni's shirt on, which earned a wolf whistle from Fangs and an encouraging _Ow!_ from Betty. She felt exposed, due to Toni's shirt solely being black mesh that showed her black lace bra, but she was too tipsy to care. She instinctively wrapped her arms around herself, and Jughead shrugged off his Serpent jacket and placed it around her shoulders.

"Now you have to kiss." Cheryl smiled sickly, keeping eye contact with Jughead, who shifted uncomfortably with narrowed eyes.

"You said –" Betty began.

"Slight rule change," she interrupted, which elicited a warning look from Toni, which she ignored. "Kiss Rory, and not just a peck." Betty turned to Jughead with a well-kept, raised brow before he rolled his eyes and shrugged. Rory winked playfully at her before they locked lips in a mocking, pseudo-passionate kiss, receiving laughter from the others.

"Damn, Betty. I knew us Jones' were irresistible but that _kiss,_" Rory proclaimed melodramatically. "Lucky you, Jughead."

"Shut up." He grumbled in return. Rory chuckled before spinning the bottle herself. When it landed on Toni, she asked the question, to which Toni picked dare.

"Do a handstand for one minute." And she obliged, earning applause from the group.

"Now kiss." Betty blurted with a fake smile, mocking Cheryl. Before Cheryl could protest, Toni grabbed Rory's face and planted a quick, drunken kiss. A fire lit in Cheryl's eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared straight ahead. Toni placed her hand on her thigh as she whispered something into her ear, which caused Cheryl's expression to soften and a smile to appear.

"Okay, no more couples kissing other people." Jughead instructed, growing increasingly annoyed with the whole thing. A few more rounds went by without Rory being selected, much to her appreciation. Jughead was dared to give Betty a lap dance, which was sloppy but hilarious, due to his drunken state. Cheryl revealed how she'd initially gotten into archery, and it wasn't as interesting of a story as Fangs was hoping for it to be. Sweet Pea was dared to sit in only his boxers for the rest of the game, and he and Fang's begrudgingly gave each other a quick peck before they wiped their mouths dramatically. It was finally Sweet Pea's turn to spin the bottle, and it landed on Rory. _Great._

"Truth." Rory answered nervously, honestly afraid of what Sweet Pea would dare her to do. The group booed. It was only the second truth of the game. He thought for a moment before smirking.

"Assuming you're not a virgin, who is the last person you slept with? And who took the ol' v-card?"

"That's two questions." Rory shifted uncomfortably. This was no better than if she had picked dare after all.

"Just answer them, you grumbletonian." Cheryl sighed in annoyance. Rory glared at her.

"Uh, Reggie Mantle." She mumbled after a long pause. Most of the group made gagging noises, save for Betty and Sweet Pea.

"For which answer?" Fangs inquired.

"Both." She shrugged. She felt more exposed than the shirt made her feel. Sweet Pea stared blankly at her.

"Kiss." Cheryl smirked devilishly. This was her plan the all along, and it was finally playing out right in front of her.

"I think it's time I get going –" Rory spoke quickly, but before she could stand, Sweet Pea crawled across the circle to her, placing his hand gently on the back of her neck and crashing his lips to hers. _What the fuck! _She faltered, completely shocked, but then came to her senses and lightly pushed him backward, though she intended to do it much harder. The group was dead silent as Sweet Pea, unfazed, stood and pulled his jeans on before calmly walking out the door and riding off on his motorcycle.


	5. Chapter 5

Four

"Rory, hey. What are you doing here?" Archie beamed, taking out an earphone as he approached his porch. He was sweaty and carrying a gym bag with a boxing glove hanging out of it.

"Hey Red," Rory smiled. "I came to see Jughead next door, but he and FP are out chasing a lead for laced Fizzle Rocks, or something. I would have hung out with JB, but she's out with a new friend, so it's just Gladys at home…" She chuckled awkwardly.

"No roller skates today?" He winked playfully. She simply shook her head no, and her smile faltered slightly. She hadn't roller skated since Midge died. The memories of their time spent at the Riverdale Roller Rink plagued her conscience every time she even _looked_ at a pair.

"It's a long walk back. I didn't know where else to go."

"Oh, no sweat. You can hang out here until he gets back," he grinned and held out a hand to pull her up from the front steps. She mumbled her appreciation and took his hand. He didn't let go as he led her into the house. She waved to Mr. Andrews, who was in the living room on a business call. "Here, we can go hang out in my room. Is that okay?" He asked carefully. She nodded with a small smile before he led her up the stairs. Archie could be an idiot sometimes, but he had always been a gentleman. It truly separated him from the other jocks in Riverdale. He closed the door behind them once they stepped into his room. "Is it cool if I take a quick shower? I'm kind of gross right now."

"You don't need to ask _my_ permission, it's your house. Go on." Rory raised a brow before grabbing a book from his bookshelf and taking a seat on his bed. He grabbed a pair of sweats before trotting into the bathroom and closing the door behind him, and she heard the shower start shortly after. After sending a quick text to Jughead to let him know her whereabouts, she opened up Archie's copy of Shakespeare's _A Midsummer Night's Dream._ Rory sighed in contentment. _At least he has good taste. Why couldn't Reggie be more like Archie?_ She didn't even feel any time pass before Archie cleared his throat.

"Find a good one?" Archie asked. He leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom with his sweatpants hanging low on his hips and his towel around his neck. Water from his hair dripped onto his scarred chest. He looked kind of beautiful.

"I did." Rory caught herself staring, plastering a grin onto her face. He pushed his shoulder off the doorframe and walked to sit next to her and leaned over to look at the page she was on. Water dripped onto her shoulder, which made her jump ever so slightly, but he didn't notice. His breath was hot near her neck.

"You're either a fast reader, or I was in there a lot longer than I thought," he joked before getting serious. "Can I ask you something?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. You trying to give me a panic attack, Andrews?" She joked nervously. He grinned.

"I was just going to ask how things were with Reggie." _Ugh._

"Ancient history." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh? Because that's what you said _last_ time. You know, before we –," He stopped, glancing down at the bed beneath them. Rory's cheeks flushed and she bit her lip to hide her laughter. He raised his eyebrows at her as he held back laughter of his own. "And then you guys kind of… reconnected."

"That was a mistake and a half." She sighed.

"Wait, Reggie or us?" He asked quizzically.

"Reggie," Rory clarified. "Why do you ask?"

"He's avoiding any talk about girls lately. I didn't know if he and Ronnie were back together or if you two were…" He shrugged and trailed off, seeming to not be saying something.

"Or with Josie?" She suggested cautiously.

"That obvious?" He sighed and ran a hand through his damp hair. She gave him a weak smile. "I don't know. We're on the rocks. I don't know if we're even an official couple or not. She tells me one thing and then acts a completely different way, totally standoffish and avoids the question when I ask her. But then she got pissed when Veronica came by yesterday to give me something to wear at my match tonight? Maybe I should tell her not to even bother coming." He exhaled put his head in his hands. Rory placed her hand gently onto his bare back, rubbing small circles in an attempt to comfort him and put her head on his shoulder. His skin was hot to the touch. She wasn't sure what to say to make him feel better.

Archie seemed to freeze before slowly looking up at her. She carefully removed her head and met his eyes. The unresolved tension in the air was thick. Rory swallowed hard. They didn't say anything, just stared into each other's eyes for a long moment. And suddenly, he was leaning into her. His lips lightly brushed hers, and they both hesitated before locking lips. He instantly relaxed as she sighed into the kiss. This _definitely _wasn't her intention coming here. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip, and she obliged to his silent plea and let him in. As their lips moved against each other, he took the book from her lap and tossed it onto the floor before guiding her to move to lay back on his bed. He tasted like spearmint, and it was obvious that he'd brushed his teeth before leaving the bathroom. He settled between her legs and he pulled them to wrap around his waist. He supported himself over her on one forearm, his other hand firmly held her hip. Rory's hands moved up to tug at the wet hair at the nape of his neck, which elicited a low groan from the back of his throat. The pair became more feverish as the heat started to rise. He moved his lips to kiss along her jaw and down her neck before sucking at the spot that he remembered she liked as he squeezed her hip. She moaned softly, involuntarily bucking her hips up to grind against his. He groaned again and pulled away from kissing her with his eyes closed, and his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. She attached her lips to his collarbone and ran a hand down his toned chest to gently palm his erection through his sweats.

"_Jesus_," he sighed, barely audible. He flipped them over so she was straddling him as he sat up, and he ran a hand up her leg to squeeze her ass. Before the situation could progress further, the door swung open, and Archie practically jumped ten feet as he scrambled off of her to lay beside her. He grabbed a pillow and placed it over his groin.

"God, seriously? A warning would have been nice in your text, Rory." Jughead groaned, shielding his eyes before heading back downstairs. They knew he was absolutely livid. Rory and Archie lay there panting, absolutely mortified, before stifling laughter.

"I think you should talk to Josie." Rory said between heavy breaths. He nodded to himself with his eyes closed with a heavy concentration in attempts to diffuse his… _situation. _There was a brief silence.

"At least Sweet Pea wasn't the last person to kiss me, now." She let out a sigh of relief and scrunched her nose up in disgust. Archie's eyes snapped open.

"Wait, what?"

Rory pushed herself up from his bed and leaned back down to give him a quick peck on the cheek before heading toward his bedroom door.

"Have a good match tonight, Andrews." She winked before trotting down the stairs. He laid in his bed, his chest still heaving from their activity, with the thought of Sweet Pea and Rory kissing. He frowned.

Not wanting to deal with his mother, Jughead suggested that they go back to Rory's camper to work on their history homework. After they finished, Betty met up with them to help assess the damage the car took from the hotwiring incident.

"What's the verdict? How bad?" Rory asked with a slight grimace on her face, prepared for the worst. Betty wiped the little grease from her hands with a rag that Jughead handed her before he said something about going inside for a minute.

"Surprisingly not that bad. Sweet Pea knew what he was doing. Otherwise, this could have cost hundreds." She shrugged with an impressed grin.

"At least he knows how to do _something_." Rory grumbled. It was silent for a few moments. Ever since the party a couple weeks prior, she avoided Sweet Pea as much as she possibly could. If she saw him anywhere, she either hid or walked the other direction to keep herself from letting him have it in the middle of the hallway at school.

"So, that kiss." Betty smiled coyly.

"Ours?" Rory winked playfully, though she knew that wasn't what she was talking about. Betty raised her eyebrow. "Don't remind me, please," Rory exaggerated a gag. "I'm just glad that I kissed someone else to get that memory further away from me."

"Wait, who did you kiss? When?" Betty gushed excitedly. "Was it Reggie?"

"Ugh, no, it was _not_ Reggie. But I don't kiss and tell." Rory winked.

"Apparently not, if it's Archie Andrews we're talking about." Betty pouted jokingly. Was she just testing her and she knew already? _Surely Archie hadn't said anything…_ Rory's mouth fell open before realization hit.

"Jughead, can you never keep anything to your goddamn self?" She yelled loud enough for him to hear inside, but didn't get a response. She took a breath before turning back to Betty, who had a sly grin on her face. "I've been avoiding him even more than usual, lately. Detention for decking someone in the middle of the hallway isn't a good look. Plus, Cheryl's looking for literally any reason to kick me off the squad."

"Would you even care?" Betty asked before quickly catching herself. "I mean, it's not like you enjoy it anymore. What's making you stay?" Rory thought for a moment. Betty was right. She _hated_ cheerleading now. Maybe she always had. She shrugged, kicking the pebbles underneath her feet. Before they could continue their discussion, sounds of a motorcycle started getting louder before coming into view.

"_Fuck's sake_," Rory cursed under her breath as Sweet Pea pulled up and slowed to a stop before kicking the stand down to steady the bike. "What are _you _doing here?" She groaned.

"Looking for Jughead. He told me he was here." He replied, tightening his jaw and avoiding her annoyed expression before finally meeting her eyes. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air for several minutes. Betty kept fidgeting, but the two others ignored it, holding each other's hard glare.

"I'm… going to go check on Jug," Betty broke the silence. "_Behave._" She hissed at Sweet Pea, who scoffed in return. He seemed to relax his shoulders, but barely. Once it was just the two of them, Rory couldn't hold their staring contest any longer. She grabbed the rag that Betty had left and turned her back to him, pretending to be tending to smudges.

"Convertible… nice," Sweet Pea tried to make small talk after a while longer. It was obvious that he did not want to be trying. "What is that, a '66 Chevy Camaro?" He honestly hadn't gotten a good look at the vehicle when he helped steal it in the middle of the night

"'69," Rory corrected him monotonously, finishing wiping the car down and stretching the cover back over it. "But at least you know your cars… for the most part." She added passive-aggressively and shrugged.

"Still can't drive?" He smirked mockingly. She pressed her lips in a tight line and inhaled slowly. _Everything is fine. You are fine. He's just trying to get you to react._ "I mean, I can teach you… If you want. If that's something you'd be interested in, or whatever." He fumbled, looking off into the distance. She cocked her head and spun on her heel to face him.

"Oh, so you're trying to be nice to me all of the sudden?" Rory asked flatly, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "I hope you don't think that kiss meant something. It was part of a game, _and_ against my will, after all."

"Oh please," he sneered. "I'm not – I mean I _guess_ I am, but look. You _are_ kind of my leader's cousin, so I can't just disrespect him by always getting into it with you." Sweet Pea shrugged. It was incredibly obvious that he was put up to this.

"So it isn't about just respecting me." She scoffed sarcastically as she leaned back against the covered car, crossing her arms over her chest. He stared at her blankly for a moment before rubbing his face with both of his hands as he let out a frustrated groan.

"You make me _so _angry _so_ quickly, it's remarkable." He spat.

"I'm not even the one that said something!" She retorted defensively.

"Yet here I am, boiling with hate."

"No one _asked _you to come here, so get your sorry ass back on your bike and –" She gritted her teeth. As he opened his mouth to fire back, Jughead's voice boomed over them.

"Sweet Pea, we're leaving. Now."

"Leaving so soon?" She feigned sorrow.

"You should probably come too, come to think of it." He sighed.

"Why?" Rory groaned.

"My dad just called. One of his guys just picked up Mambo, and apparently it isn't pretty." Rory felt the color leave her face. "When did he even get back?" He asked her.

"He… What?" Before she knew it, she was on the back of Sweet Pea's motorcycle, speeding toward the northside. In the moment, she didn't even care about how she was clinging onto him. Her thoughts ran wild and her heart felt like it was going to explode as Jughead's words ran through her head: _One of his guys just picked up Mambo. When did he even get back? _When she regained focus, anxiety immediately took over her body. They were at her and her mother's old house. The windows were boarded up, but other than that, the only thing that was out of place that she directly noticed were three words across the brick in black spray paint:

THIS WAS HOME

Her eyes scanned the scene before landing on a hunched over, handcuffed figure sitting on the front stoop. Mambo Hale.

"_Nicky?_" Rory breathed inaudibly, climbing off of Sweet Pea's bike and darting toward her younger brother. She crouched in front of him and grabbed his face with both of her hands. His green eyes seemed cold as they bore into hers at first, but they almost instantly softened and began to water. He looked so different since she had last seen him. He looked so much _older_, though only two years had passed. "Mambo?" He choked out a sob, leaning forward into her shoulder to shield himself from the audience around them.

"Please, take the cuffs off of him!" Rory pleaded. The deputy stared back at her, unimpressed. Sweet Pea narrowed his eyes at him before the deputy gulped and took out his keys to remove the handcuffs from Mambo's bound hands. Once freed, his arms flew around Rory, gripping the fabric in his fists as he shook violently from his quiet sobs. Her eyes stared straight ahead, breath hitching in her throat at the sight of the front door, a chilling message that her brother must have marked etched into the wood.

THE WORLD'S NOT SAFE ANYMORE.

_What could he possibly mean by that?_ Her trembling hands ran through his hair and rubbed his back in attempts of soothing him.

"I'm here… I'm here."


	6. Chapter 6

Five

"It's all a bit tragic, really, isn't it?" Mambo mumbled as Rory pulled him onto the bike behind her. She practically forced him to hang onto her by pulling the already disheveled coat of his school uniform that he was still wearing, as he was so close to falling back off of the motorcycle. She absentmindedly slung her arms around Sweet Pea's torso as he pulled out into the road toward the direction of her father's house.

"What?" She asked her brother, finally processing what he said. He didn't answer her.

"Where are we going?" He asked loud enough for her to hear over the engine and the wind running past her ears.

"Dad's." She replied. She immediately felt his body stiffen, but decided not to ask him about it while they were in Sweet Pea's company.

Sweet Pea pulls off without a word as soon as he dropped them off. As Rory moved toward the front door, it took several steps for her to realize that Mambo wasn't following behind her. She turned on her heel with a raised eyebrow as his eyes bore into hers. They stared at each other for a moment before he glanced nervously at the house.

"Nicky?" She asked. He winced at the nickname, and she realized that he's probably too old for that now, not that it was going to stop her. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Let's get this shit show on the road." He said monotonously as he moved past her and up the steps. He stopped at the door, holding it open for her. She began to wonder if they refined his manners at the place their mom and dad – _Lance_ – had sent him to a couple years ago. She thanked him as she stepped through the threshold, him right on her heels. She could practically feel the nerves rolling off of him, but couldn't understand why. Off of the foyer in the living room sat Peter, and Lance was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace. Lance's eyes snapped up as soon as the door closed.

"I got a call from the sheriff," Lance's voice boomed. Rory almost laughed at his attempt of being authoritative. But while she was successfully trying to contain her laughter, Mambo was letting his freely fly out of his mouth. It started out as lighthearted, but quickly turned dark and bitter as he led her with him into the living room. Her breathing went shallow as she eyed him carefully. She had never seen this side of him before. Peter payed them no mind as he played on his phone, but Lance's eyes slowly scanned Mambo as he continued to laugh. "Is something funny?" Mambo immediately stopped laughing.

"I was laughing, wasn't I?" Mambo replied flatly. Rory felt extremely confused at the dynamic playing out before her. So much has changed, more than she could have ever imagined, but this was completely unwarranted… or so she thought. "What, are you trying to be a parent all of a sudden?" He scoffed and turned to face his sister. "Do you want know why I did that to the house, Rory? Surely, because I'm _unstable_ right?"

"I _never _said that." She stated carefully, and almost too defensively. He put his hand up to wave her comment off.

"No, I know _you_ didn't," he said, pausing to glare at his father, who stood silently and expressionless. "I bet you'll never guess when I found out about mom." It took Rory a moment, but as soon as realization hit her, she felt my face pale and tears began to well up in her eyes. Peter's head snapped up from his phone, and he glared at Lance. Clearly, he'd been listening the whole time.

"No…" she exhaled, shaking her head.

"Oh, yes. I found out that our mother was dead, and has been for almost a year, a couple of hours ago! You can imagine my horror, obviously from the revelation, but also because up until my departure from that sorry excuse of a 'school' I was sent to, I had been _receiving letters_ from our mother. Or so I had thought." He grimaced with such hurt evident on his features as he pulled out at least a dozen folded letters from his back pocket, waving them around in the air before striding over to toss them into the fireplace. His pupils dilated as he watched them burn. The flames engulfed the papers, quickly consuming them until there was nothing left but ash.

"What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?" Peter suddenly stood, getting within an inch of Lance's face. Peter clenched his fists and spat at his feet before stomping out into the foyer and up the stairs. He slammed his bedroom door soon after.

"You're just going to let him talk to you that way? Oh wait, of course you are. Your favorite child can do whatever the hell he wants." Mambo cackled as he mocked him.

"Did you take your medicine today?" Lance asked calmly. _Is he fucking serious?_ Rory narrowed her eyes at Lance. She felt so incredibly awkward just standing there, between the two of them. She desperately wished for her twin to come back downstairs, or that she could be anywhere else. But she knew she couldn't leave Mambo there, especially with Lance saying such insensitive things. _And not telling him mom was dead while pretending to be her in letters._ Her subconscious reminded her. She felt sick. Rory felt where this was going, so she pulled out her phone to text Jughead, pleading for him to come get her.

"I don't _need_ medicine." Mambo spat.

"You're unstable," Lance said plainly. When Mambo laughed bitterly, he added, "You're violent."

"I am not violent. I am not malicious. I am a result. I used to ask myself, 'why me?' But I know. I was easy, so easy. You hated me. You_ hate_ me."

"Oh, the drama. The world doesn't revolve around you, Nicholas." Lance stated dismissively, waving him off.

"How upsetting." Mambo replied monotonously.

"Stop speaking to him that way," Rory warned her father lowly. Both of the men shifted their attention toward her. "He's not a villain. He's just a _boy_."

"You have no idea what you're talking about. He tried to kill his teacher, for Christ's sake! He was always nothing but rage, and he is obviously the same now! He was just _arrested_!" Lance exclaimed, forcing laughter from Mambo.

"Of course, I was rage. I was a _child_. And I didn't try to _kill_ my teacher. I punched him when he got in my face."

"You broke his nose. It almost went up into his brain, which would have killed him," Peter said from behind them, reentering the room. "You also set his car on fire." His eyes were puffy and bloodshot. The corners of Rory's mouth turned down. Mambo rolled his eyes, ignoring Peter.

"You can both sit here and keep implying that I'm psychotic, but it won't make it true, no matter how many times you do. _You_ are the one who sent me away. Mom didn't even want me to go! You had her _convinced _that I was a psychopath. Sorry that I'm not a perfect son like Peter. Funny that he isn't even yours. That must be why he's not _crazy_ like I am, right? Not so _angry_? I get it from _you_." Barely a split second after he finished his monologue, Lance lunged across the room at Mambo, backhanding him roughly. Rory shrieked as Mambo's head flew to the side. He slowly turned back to face his father, a fire alight in his eyes. Blood trickled from his lip down his once innocent face. He stayed silent as he shoved his father back before turning to retreat up the stairs. Rory heard the familiar rumble of a motorcycle outside. _Jughead._ She couldn't be here any longer.

"You're unbelievable_._" Rory sobbed quietly before running toward the front door. But, alas, as the universe seemed to love playing sick jokes on her, there Sweet Pea sat lazily on his bike, scanning Rory up and down, as she was a sobbing mess. She did a one-eighty at the sight of him. _This asshole isn't going to see me cry._

"Rory?" He asked timidly. This was the first time he had ever used her first name, let alone acted the least bit concerned for her well-being.

"Why are you here?" She cried through gritted teeth.

"Jughead told me to come take you home. You can either get on the bike or walk," He flipped like a switch and was immediately back to being harsh and cold. _Why couldn't he just come get me himself?_ "Offer expires in thirty seconds." He huffed.

"I don't think Jughead would appreciate you leaving me here." Rory turned and challenged him with a smirk through her tears. He poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue as a scowl crept onto his face.

"Just get on the damn bike, Jones." He grumbled, tightening his bruised knuckles on the handlebars. Rory rolled her eyes and made her way over to him, swinging her leg over the motorcycle. He barely gave her time to adjust herself on the seat before speeding off. The wind hitting her face made the tears on her cheeks dry. She felt awful leaving Mambo there. She would definitely have to come back for him later. When they arrived at her camper, Rory hastily climbed off the bike and started toward the door before slowly turning around.

"Thanks… for the ride." She said awkwardly, rubbing her hands together. No matter how much she hated him, she felt bad that he was caught up in all of the family drama.

"No Serpent left behind." Sweet Pea replied nonchalantly, getting off his bike and sitting back against it.

"I'm _not_ a Serpent." Rory scoffed with a slight disgust in her tone.

"You're legacy," he shrugged, narrowing his eyes. "You're a Serpent by blood, whether you like it or not. You can join cheerleading, and all the other preppy clubs that you want to try to make that fact obsolete. But you'll always feel like you don't fit in, right? That's because you _never_ will. Too rough around the edges to fit in their perfect little Northside mold. Because in the end, you can take the girl out of the Southside, sure. But you'll _never_ be able to take the Southside out of the girl. And that drives you crazy," Sweet Pea spat, his voice getting lower as he stepped closer to her. "You can't hide from who you really are forever, so you better start getting used to it, _princess_."

Rory's palm suddenly connected with Sweet Pea's cheek, even surprising her. He roughly pushed her back against the camper without missing a beat, his hands on either side of her head. Her eyes went wide with surprise, his eyes wild and his breathing heavy. He had her pinned. She could feel the anger radiating off of him, and it gave her goosebumps.

"Touch me one more time, I dare you." He growled.

"Who the hell do you think you are? You don't fucking know me!" She raised her voice, but her vocal chords betrayed her as it came out a bit too shaky and cracked. She tried to push him backward, but he didn't budge. He grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head with one strong hand, the one that wasn't bruised.

"Oh, just shut the fuck _up_ already." He hissed in annoyance before smashing his lips against hers. He tangled his bruised hand in her hair as he pressed up against her. And, much to Rory's surprise, she didn't fight back, letting all of her anger and frustrations with the boy roll off of her and into the kiss as their tongues battled for dominance. The pair stumbled backwards, trying to find their way into the camper.

She pushed her hands under his shirt to feel the hot skin of his abdomen, and he pulled away momentarily to yank the material over his head. His dog tags clanked back against his chest as he discarded the article of clothing, throwing it to the other side of the camper. He pulled her blouse open, not gently enough, as a button or two ricocheted off of the objects around them, causing Rory to gasp. He pulled away and attached his lips to _that_ spot on her neck right under her ear. She bit her lip to fight back a moan. Sweet Pea smirked against her skin before harshly sucking on the same spot, causing her to dig her nails into his biceps. He winced and sucked air through his teeth, pushing her back onto her bed and crawling between her legs.

Rory was suddenly aware that there was a boy in her home, and how messy it was. _It's just Sweet Pea, I don't care, _she thought, though she still quickly tried to assess whether or not there was anything embarrassing laying around. He growled as he unclasped her bra and her breasts spilled out, attaching his lips to her left nipple, kneading her other breast with his hand. She tangled her hands in his hair and gently pulled, causing him to pull both her shorts and panties down her legs in one swift motion. She gasped, suddenly feeling very exposed in front of the boy that she hated. _What the hell am I doing!?_ But before she could react, Sweet Pea practically silenced the voice in her head by reattaching his lips to hers. She sighed, closing her eyes and grinding her hips up against his.

A low groan rumbled from his chest and he froze, causing her eyes to snap open and meet his. He looked confused, then seemed to look down at her naked body to snap himself out of it. She carefully reached for the waistline of his jeans and fumbled with his belt, then unbuttoned his jeans. He sighed as she pushed them down with his boxers, his cock finally springing free. Her eyes widened. He wasn't _huge_, but he was definitely proportional to the rest of his body, and the biggest that she had ever seen in person. She nervously wrapped her hand gently around his shaft, his skin hot. He exhaled in relief before bringing two fingers to her wetness, rubbing over her clit in small, rushed circles. She gasped, tightening her grip on him slightly and she began to move her hand up and down rhythmically. He threw his head back with his eyes screwed shut before plunging two fingers into her, expertly curling and twisting them.

"_Oh my god_," she breathed.

"You like that?" He smirked down at her. She nodded rapidly. He clicked his tongue tauntingly. "I need words, _princess._" Usually, his annoying heckling would have made her roll her eyes and call him a bastard, but her head was spinning as he pumped his fingers in and out of her. After not answering him, his fingers slowed to an agonizing pace, making her whine. She needed him, and she needed him now.

"Please," she whimpered.

"Please what?" he asked with a dark grin, and she swore she could see the Devil in his eyes. "What do you want me to do?"

"Fuck me, you asshat," She tried to sound annoyed, but it came out as a moan as he curled his fingers against her walls, making him chuckle. "_Please_."

"You're dirtier than I thought you'd be,_ princess_." He smirked, quickly removing his fingers. She whined at the loss of contact.

"Do you have a condom?" Rory asked, rolling her eyes at his comment as she propped herself up on her elbows. He scoffed in return, bending off of her bed to pull a condom out of his wallet from his jeans. _Of course, he does._ Rory rolled her eyes again. He tore the foil packet open with his teeth and pumped himself a few times before rolling the condom down onto his length. He grabbed her hips and flipped her onto her stomach, causing her to squeal in surprise. He pulled her upwards so that she was on her hands and knees. He teasingly ran his tip over her entrance, and she bucked her hips backward in attempts to push herself onto him. He pulled back before she could, and quickly slapped his hand down on her ass. She hissed through her teeth.

"Patience, princess."

"Please." She pleaded again, and he obliged, pushing into her slowly so that she could adjust to his size. She gasped, attempting to squeeze her legs together. He pushed her legs further apart with his knees as he began to move faster and harder. Rory cried out in pleasure, losing her balance from shaking and falling almost face first onto her bed as he rammed into her. Sweet Pea reached to grab a fist full of hair and pulled her up, supporting her slightly by wrapping his other hand around her throat. The camper was filled with the sounds of Rory's moans, Sweet Pea's panting, and skin slapping against skin, and it was the most delicious sound.

"Come for me, princess," Sweet Pea removed his hand from her hair, snaking it down the front of her body to rub her clit, sending her over the edge. Rory's vision went white as a string of curses fell from her mouth. Her legs began to shake and the rest of her body stiffened. "That's right, good girl." He groaned at the sight of her writhing in his arms, spilling into the condom immediately after. Both of their bodies fell forward and Sweet Pea caught himself on his forearm, being careful not to crush her. Rory struggled to catch her breath.

Without a word, Sweet Pea rolled over and pulled out of her and pulled off the condom. He dragged his boxers and jeans back onto his body, that was sticky from sweat. He made a swift but calm exit out of the camper, grabbing his shirt from the top of the lamp where it had landed on the way, and tossed the soiled condom into the trash can next to the door as he left. Rory paid him no mind, mentally kicking herself for what she just did as she pulled her comforter over her exposed body.

"God damn it." She cursed to herself, closing her eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

Six

Rory laid in her bed for two hours after Sweet Pea walked out of her trailer, mentally beating herself up and screaming curses into the empty air. _What the hell is wrong with me? Why did I do that?_ She felt so disgusted with herself, and by the fact that he had initiated it in the first place. _Did he though? I reached up his shirt… _Her eyes wandered to the window. It was dark out now; she had barely felt time move. She glanced at her alarm clock on the counter: eight o'clock. She sighed.

A knock on the door broke her out of her self-deprecation. Maybe Sweet Pea was here to yell at her for what they did or to tell her that it would never happen again, which she would wholeheartedly agree with. _Even though it was unarguably the best sex I've ever had…_ Another knock sounded on the metal door. She shook the thought out of her head as she grabbed her dark green silk robe and pulled it onto her body before heading toward the door. She took a deep breath before opening it, and there stood Mambo, which surprised her. His eyes were red and puffy, his face streaked with semi-dry tears and blood still on his face from earlier that day.

"Mambo, how did you get here?" He narrowed his eyes at her and dead-panned at the same time.

"I walked," he stated flatly, walking up the steps as he pushed past her to get into the camper. Rory cocked her head to herself with her tongue in her cheek, mumbling a sarcastic, 'Please, come in.' He ignored her, striding over to one of the armchairs, throwing his uniform coat on the floor. "Nice place. Very bohemian." She smiled at his comment.

"Jughead said the same thing," She chuckled, walking over to the sink to wet a cloth before handing it to him so he could wipe the blood and dirt from his face. "How did you know where I lived?"

"Peter." He shrugged.

"He let you walk here by yourself?"

"I'm not twelve anymore, Rory," He groaned, laying his head back. "And for the record, he tried to come along and have Lara drive us. I left while he was grabbing his letterman. I'm shocked that he hadn't called you." Rory gave him a disapproving look before padding over to her phone. She had three missed calls, two voicemails, and seven messages from him. Her phone had been on silent. She sheepishly hugged the robe tighter around her.

"You shouldn't have walked. It's dark out, and we're in the southside now. I don't know what all you know, but Riverdale isn't safe anymore." She warned him solemnly. He waved her off.

"I know how to defend myself," he said as he pulled out a switchblade, waving it in the air back and forth a couple of times before setting it on the small table between the two armchairs. Rory's eyes widened, and before she could speak, he added, "Don't scold me. I had to, in a place like Seaside."

"What the hell _happened _to you, Nicky?" She asked, trying her best to keep her horror out of her tone.

"I grew up," he began. "I've gone through a lot of shit. But I'm not ready to tell you what happened to me." He shrugged and turned his head to stare out a window. Yes, he had grown up. Since the day Mambo was sent to that school in Seaside three years prior, Rory went down every rabbit hole she could find to dig up information on it, or maybe even some dirt that she could show to her parents to force them to bring him home. However, no matter where or what she searched online, nothing ever came up. It was as if the school didn't even exist.

She sighed and plopped down onto the chair adjacent her brother. "I'll be here whenever you are, though. Don't ever forget that I'm always in your corner. I always have been." Rory stated, trying to catch his eyes. He simply nodded, seeming to be in deep thought. He suddenly turned to face her.

"It smells like sex in here." He stated simply. Rory's eyes widened and her cheeks began to heat up.

"No… It doesn't." She tried to play it off.

"Okay, but it does."

"How do you even know what sex smells like?" She questioned him with narrowed eyes. He slow grin crept onto his face as he turned his head to face the window again. "Nicholas!"

"It wasn't an all-boys school, you know," He shrugged, his grin going wider. Rory groaned, putting her head in her hands. "Can I stay here tonight? And possibly longer?" He was so quick to change the subject, though it didn't seem that he was embarrassed or anything.

"You can stay as long as you'd like. There's an air mattress rolled up in the cabinet," He nodded at her as he stood and walked to the cupboard she was pointing at. On his way, he stopped to examine one of the bookshelves, picking up a set of tarot cards. "This was mom's camper from when she was a teenager. Most of this stuff is hers."

"I recognize these," He nodded, flipping through the deck. Rory cocked her head at him curiously. "They were in some pictures she showed me, like from when she was pregnant with you and Peter."

"Oh." Rory simply nodded at him, though she had never seen the pictures he was talking about. They talked for a few more hours, from everything that Mambo had missed since being sent away, to the musical and Midge's death, and then they stopped on their mother.

"How… how did it happen?" He asked softly. Rory shifted uncomfortably. He had just found out about her death today. _God, this is so fucked up._

"Are you sure?" She asked, and he nodded slightly after a moment of thinking. "She was… run over. But by people themselves. Trampled to death. On riot night." She cleared her throat. Tears stung at her eyes but she quickly blinked them away. He nodded again, slower this time as he processed the information.

"Was she still using?" Mambo asked tentatively. Rory's breath hitched and she shrugged. "Told you she was done right?" He rolled his eyes knowingly. The siblings were all too familiar with their mother's drug abuse cycle. She'd frequently use, made it obvious, but then lie and tell them that she had stopped. "I'm surprised that that isn't how she bowed out, honestly." He said harshly. The comment stung, but Rory agreed. By the time Rory looked at the clock again, it was almost midnight.

"I'm going to take a quick shower before bed. Do you want to go ahead and set up the air mattress while I'm in there?" Rory asked, picking up her pajamas before striding toward the tiny bathroom at the back of the camper. "There's also snacks in the pantry, and a few different drinks in the mini fridge." Mambo nodded in acknowledgement and moved to the floor to assemble his sleeping arrangement.

Rory stepped into the shower and let the hot water cascade down her body. She sighed in contentment, feeling today's stress and shame wash off of her, along with the remnants of Sweet Pea's touch. She immediately felt anger surge through her, both for Sweet Pea and herself, as she washed her hair. She truly hated him. He wasn't even _mildly_ irritating; he was so much worse. She felt nauseated. She grabbed her soapy loofah and roughly scrubbed her body for what seemed like hours. She sat down and brought her knees to her chest and stated that way for a while. After rinsing away her regret, she stepped out of the shower and toweled off. She could hear her small television on in the other room. When she opened the door, however, Mambo was nowhere to be seen.

"Mambo?" There was no answer. "Nick?" She looked out the window over her counter and saw him sitting on the ground in front of her camper, a small fire burning in front of him in a makeshift fire pit he must have constructed. She carefully stepped over the air mattress and tip-toed outside. She gasped. His head snapped over to meet her surprised eyes as he was removing a Black Devil cigarette from behind his ear.

"I thought you'd be in there a little longer… I didn't mean for you to find out this way." He sighed, continuing to light the end of the cigarette and inhale. She just watched him, having a hard time seeing her once innocent baby brother smoking in front of her. She selfishly wished it were pot, because at least it wouldn't be killing him the more he did it. _How often did he do this? Does he smoke weed too?_

"Didn't mean for me to find out this way, or not at all?" She asked flatly. He smiled sheepishly back at her as he slowly let out a cloud of smoke. "A lot has changed." She exhaled.

"More than you know," he chuckled bitterly. She frowned at his comment, but didn't push it any further, knowing that she would get the same answer from earlier. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. The moonlight bounced off of the remaining half of the sleek black cigarette before he pressed it into the ground to put it out. She raised an eyebrow at him. "I didn't do that for you, just so you know. It's just too cold out here." He shrugged, gesturing to his bare torso before standing up, then proceeding to kick dirt over the fire and walked back inside. Rory rolled her eyes and followed him in.

He was surprisingly already in bed, but without a blanket or a pillow. She walked over to her cabinets and pulled a fluffy blanket and pillow out before throwing them at him. He mumbled his thanks and turned off the television. She flopped down onto her bed and pulled the comforter up to her chin and closed her eyes. Just as she was ready to drift off, Mambo's voice broke through the silence of the camper.

"I think I'm ready."

"What?" Rory asked.

"I'm ready to tell you what happened to me. I think," He explained quietly. She turned to face him on the floor, propping herself up on her elbow. "Yes, I'm sure," He rolled his eyes, seeming to read her mind.

"Okay, whenever you're ready."

"All of _this_," he began, gesturing to himself. "I swear, it was not my choice. I used to be so kind." He always had a flair for the dramatics whenever he spoke.

"I know you were. Why aren't you now?" Rory smiled weakly at him.

"Because the best way not to get your heart broken is to pretend you don't have one," he shrunk a little, but there was no emotion in his voice. "To be fair, you haven't even seen my bad side yet. Rory, I need you to be patient with me. Reflecting on the past has no real substance to me, but a lot of pain, both emotional and physical." Rory winced a little when he said the word _physical_. She didn't know if she was ready to hear this now. She thought she was, but if he's been hurt, she didn't know what she would do.

"If you keep ignoring your emotions like this, you will eventually break down." She stated carefully.

"While that's unfortunate, I need to tell you what happened to me, so I guess I can pay attention do them at another time," he smiled weakly, his eyes dim. "My time at Seaside Correctional School was… the absolute worst experience of my entire life, thus far. Even worse than finding out that mom died. They abused us. They abused _me_ the most, it seemed. More than just emotionally, or physically. It got worse… One of them tried to… They _tried_." He emphasized, and his eyes got dark. Rory blinked. _Surely not._ _Surely… Surely not._ "That was the first time… The first time I _really_ hurt someone, Rory." She tried her best to keep her expression neutral.

"What did you do, Mambo?"

"I got _this_," he started, pulling his switchblade from under his pillow and flipping it between his fingers, "a couple days prior. Some of the other kids would somehow smuggle in cigarettes and other contraband. I traded two packs of Black Devils for it after I was tired of being smacked around and no other adult believing me. One morning, one of the orderlies came in to start my electroconvulsive therapy. He was different from the lady that usually did it, but things were never the same all the time at that place so I didn't question it. This guy was acting really weird from the start, though. I laid down and he put the things on my temples – I don't know what they're called, I was too pissed off at everything to find out. Anyway, he put the things on my temples, and I closed my eyes to prepare for the _buzz_ feeling in my head. Then… nothing. It finally turns on after a minute. But suddenly, there's a hand…" He pauses and swallows hard. "And it was where it definitely shouldn't have been," he sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Tears threatened to spill out of Rory's eyes as a million thoughts rushed through her head, but she remained silent, listening to him intently. He glanced over at her, slightly concerned that she may have fallen asleep. He was relieved when he saw her staring back at him. "Don't cry for me. I stabbed him."

She blinked. "You…"

"Stabbed him, yes. Before I knew what I was doing, the blade was swiftly snatched from under my pillow and then it was through his forearm. Then I yanked the whatever-they're-calleds off of my head and ran out of my room. Seriously, stop crying. You're making me uncomfortable," He tried to joke to break the tension. She blinked again, then quickly wiped her face. "This continued to happen until I came home today. No one ever believed me, not even Dad. He thought I was just trying to get out of there, and to be fair, I was. I'm just so glad that the money stopped coming and I was sent home."

"Mambo, if I knew… I'm so –"

"Sorry. I know. Dad wouldn't let me talk to you, because he knew you would try to get me out of there," He sighed. It was silent for a moment. "I was put in solitary for two months straight after that. They took my knife, but I stole it back when I got out. All of my classes were through a screen, and I was by myself the entire time, aside from the therapy sessions. I was put into solitary a lot. I lost my fucking mind. I was there, yet I was not there."

"Why were you doing shock therapy?" Rory asked inquisitively.

"Because they believed everything dad told them when he dropped me off. All 'assessments' afterward were bullshit. They never believed a god damn thing I said. The only thing they did change from what he told them was that I'm in fact _not _schizophrenic. I can't believe he told them that I was… wait, yes I can," He laughed bitterly. "I had to fight like hell, and fighting like hell has made me what I am. I am the monster they created. Something in me just… snapped."

"Are you a bad person now?" Rory asked suddenly.

"Depends on who you ask. Who we are and who we need to be to survive are two very different things. But I kept hurting people. The other kids couldn't do what I had to do. But we were just kids… we weren't meant to be heroes. I don't even know who I am anymore. It's like… I used to be a person. What am I now?"

"You're just a kid, Nicky." He winced.

"I stopped being a kid the day our parents sent me there to die," His voice cracked. "I hate them. I hate their guts. I hate what they did to me." He was crying hard suddenly, which was a shock compared to how he was as he described the horrors he had endured for three years. Tears pricked at her own eyes as she leant over the edge of her bed to pull him up into bed with her. She held him as he cried into her shoulder, and for the rest of the night after he fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Seven

When Rory woke up the next morning, Mambo was nowhere to be found. She checked outside her camper, finding a few black cigarette butts on the ground and a freshly extinguished fire. The car was also gone, and she panicked for a moment before deciding that maybe Mambo had learned to drive while he was away, or at least she had hoped._ Who fucking knows what all he's been up to?_ She checked the time on her phone: seven thirty. She'd have to start getting ready for school pretty soon. She sent Mambo a quick text:

_Where are you?_

She jogged back up the steps and into the camper. After a couple of minutes, her phone dinged:

**I've got some sketchy shit to take care of. I'll be back later.**

Rory rolled her eyes but didn't press it further, figuring that it was probably in her best interest not to know. She pulled out her clothes for the day: a blue jersey-type long sleeve with two white stripes, and a pair of light-wash skinny jeans. She applied light makeup and pulled half of her hair back into a ponytail at the back of her head. After one last glace over in the mirror, she decided that she was pleased with her appearance. She suddenly grew nervous. Her first class today was English Literature with Sweet Pea. She wasn't sure what he would say, if anything, or if he'd torment her about how easy she was to let him have sex with her. A _honk_ broke her out of her thoughts, signaling that Peter and Lara were outside to give her a ride to school. She felt bad for having Lara drive to the southside so many times. She would definitely have to learn how to drive the car soon. _I can't believe Mambo knows how to drive before I do._

When they arrived at Riverdale High School, Rory went through the motions. She went to her locker to grab her books, attempted to smile at the people that she passed, and finally made her way to English Lit. She slumped into one of the desks toward the front of the class, which was empty until the "five-minute warning" bell rang; students filed in in clusters, and there was an elevated murmur of voices until the final bell rang and the teacher, Mrs. Kowalski, stepped to the front of the class to silence the teenagers.

"I hope you all had an interesting weekend." She smiled at the young faces peering up at her. Rory snorted.

"You have no idea…" She mumbled under her breath, too low for her to hear.

"Dr. Samuel Johnson told us that the essence of poetry is invention. Shakespeare, the essential poetic dramatist that he was, had revealed to us much that always had been there, but had not been available before he discerned it. His recognition of the human was an act of literary knowledge, a mode concerning which we still comprehend rather little." Her heels clacked on the floor as she strode over to place both of her hands on a student's desk in the front row. It seemed like she was purposefully pushing her cleavage up as she bent over. The boy sitting at the desk gulped as he watched her. She smiled at him. The classroom door flung open, revealing Sweet Pea, and he walked leisurely to the back of the room to the empty desk in the corner that everyone knew to be his, even though it was open seating. Rory felt her heart start to race and her throat close.

"Sweet Pea, you're late." Mrs. Kowalski stated as she stood up straight, putting a hand on her hip.

"Morning, _Serafina_." He challenged with a smirk. The Polish woman raised her eyebrows.

"Please take a seat, Mr. –" She instructed, but he raised his hand in dismissal and sat down before she could finish her sentence. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, back to it. What was I saying… Ah, right, Shakespeare. Today, you will be partnering up to evaluate a Shakespeare play of your choosing in a ten-page paper with MLA formatting. Go." The students groaned. Rory panicked. Her usual choices for a partner were no longer friends with her, and Peter was already partnered up with his girlfriend. She shrunk down into her seat slightly as she saw her former friends grab at each other to partner up. The only two students that weren't paired up were herself and Sweet Pea. She glanced at him. He was leant back in his seat with his eyes closed.

"Hop to, Miss Jones." Mrs. Kowalski beamed. Rory smiled weakly back at her as she turned around, then immediately rolled her eyes as she stood up and walked in Sweet Pea's direction. As she approached, he kept his eyes closed. She cleared her throat to get his attention. He didn't move. As she opened her mouth to speak, he interrupted her.

"What do you want, Jones?" He asked monotonously, eyes still closed.

"How did you –"

"I could sense your annoying presence," he smirked and opened his eyes to stare into hers. _Oh_. Her heart slightly dropped, and she immediately questioned herself as to why. He rolled his eyes when she didn't say anything. "Your perfume," He closed his eyes again and leaned further back into his chair._ He recognized my perfume?_ "So, what do you want?"

"W-What?" Rory stuttered. His eyes opened again and he cocked a brow and looked her up and down. "Oh, we're the only people without partners… for the project." She mentally kicked herself. She didn't know why she was acting like a kicked puppy. He glanced around the room.

"I'm good."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll work alone."

"You can't," Rory rolled her eyes, growing more impatient with the stubborn boy. "Trust me, if that was an option, I would have taken it."

"Would you have?" He smirked again, cocking his head to the side. Rory's annoyance flared up.

"You're so incredibly cocky and infuriating, it's revolting."

"That's not what you thought last night." He hissed with narrowed eyes. Her mouth fell open. Mrs. Kowalski clapped her hands at the front of the classroom.

"Alright, everyone! Take a seat with your partners and find a work to evaluate!"

After the rest of the school day, Rory decided to walk home. She needed time to think. Before she could get far, however, Mambo pulled up next to her in their mom's car. His face was bloody, but he had a wide grin on his face. Her eyes widened and she quickly climbed into the car.

"What the hell –"

"How was school?"

"Are you serious?" Rory laughed, gesturing to the state of him. His grin grew wider. He stepped on the clutch and started the car, slowly pulling back into the road. "What happened to your face? Do I need to expect you to be bloody every time I see you?"

"You should see the other guy." He chuckled. He turned a corner, and almost ran into Peter, who was walking in the middle of the road. Mambo laid on the horn angrily and wound down the window. "For fuck's sake!" Mambo shouted. "You scared the hell out of me, you prick."

"_I_ scared _you_?" Peter laughed. "You almost hit me with a fucking car." He jogged around to the side, and Rory stepped out and pulled the seat forward. As she was about to climb into the backseat, Mambo stopped her.

"He can sit in the back." He said lowly, his eyes narrowed. Peter rolled his eyes and exhaled slowly, then climbed into the back. Rory shot Mambo a warning look, and he smiled back at her innocently.

"I won't tell dad you stole the car, by the way." Peter joked to Rory.

"You better not, or I'll cut out your tongue." Mambo replied, then immediately grinned devilishly. Peter's laughter ceased.

"He doesn't mean that." Rory told him reassuringly.

"Yes, I do."

"Why are you walking?" She asked Peter, while she shot daggers at her younger brother.

"Lara and I got in a fight at school. It was literally so stupid, over what color we're wearing for prom," He sighed. Mambo snorted and started driving again. "Why are _you_ hitching a ride with the Anti-Christ?"

"Just needed to think, so I decided to walk. I didn't plan on being picked up." She chuckled, ignoring her twin's dig at their brother. Mambo rolled his eyes but remained silent.

"Think about what?" Peter pressed.

"I'm paired up with Sweet Pea to write a ten-page paper on a Shakespeare play. It's due in a couple of weeks," she sighed, giving full background to her younger brother, since Peter was in that class with her. Peter's face contorted in disgust. "Don't give me that, I didn't have a choice. I'd honestly rather take an 'F.'"

"Motorcycle dude?" Mambo inquired. When Rory nodded, he paused before a bewildered, knowing grin flashed across his bloody features. His words from yesterday rang in Rory's ears: _It smells like sex in here._ Her eyes widened, and she shook her head rapidly at him. He cocked a brow and glanced at Peter in the rearview mirror before refocusing his eyes on the road. Luckily Peter didn't notice, as he was looking out the back window. "What's so bad about him? He seems like a cool guy."

"Figures _you _would say that…" Peter snorted from the backseat, but Mambo ignored him, other than narrowing his eyes and popping his head to the side to crack his neck.

"He's the most irritating person I have ever come in contact with."

"More irritating than _Peter_?" Mambo gasped sarcastically. Peter scowled and shoved Mambo's head forward. They began to argue, but Rory didn't have it in her to stop them.

"He's a fucking sadist. A sociopath. She continued with an annoyed sigh, causing the boys to settle down.

"Maybe he needs meds," Mambo joked. "I'm secretly a sadistic sociopath, but I have medication that curbs those tendencies, making me somewhat normal."

"You don't take them." Rory smiled.

"It's not a secret." Peter mumbled.

"No one fucking asked you, Peter," Mambo's grip tightened on the steering wheel before he swiftly pulled over and the car screeched to a halt. "This is your stop. Out."

"Our house is two blocks from here."

"_Your_ house is two blocks from here. I can't pull this car up there. Dad will see it," he stated through gritted teeth. Peter looked to Rory for help, but she simply shrugged with an apologetic look. Mambo was right. "You are welcome for the ride. Bye-bye." Mambo grinned back at him sarcastically through the rearview mirror. Rory opened the door and got out to pull the seat forward.

"I'm sorry about him… I'll call you later." Rory sighed sheepishly.

"Yeah, okay. It's whatever," Peter grumbled. "By the way, have you talked to Andrews?" Rory's heart fluttered slightly. She didn't have serious feelings for him, but there was a mutual crush between the two.

"No, why?"

"He was arrested last night. Veronica bailed him and his friend out." He shrugged before turning on his heel to walk in the direction of their dad's house. Rory sighed and sat back into the car, buckling her seatbelt and shooting Archie a quick text.

"What a goddamn idiot." Mambo mumbled as Peter walked away, pulling back out onto the road toward the southside.

As Mambo washed the blood from his face in the bathroom, Rory fumbled through her Shakespeare collection. She had so many choices. She pulled out _Merchant of Venice_, figuring Sweet Pea wouldn't care much about what she chose, if he would even care at all. There was a knock at the door, breaking her out of her literary trance. She thought that maybe it could be Archie, since she'd texted him earlier to check on him, but the universe decided otherwise. She opened the door to reveal Sweet Pea, who immediately pushed past her into the trailer without saying a word.

"I didn't say you could come in, asshole," She groaned, closing the door. He ignored her, laying back onto her bed. She blinked at him.

"What?" He finally spoke. She couldn't find words.

"Your boots… They're on the bed," _Really Rory?_ He rolled his eyes at her and killed them off of his feet. They each made a thud as they dropped to the floor. "Why are you here?"

"We're project partners." He shrugged with a scowl, sitting up to play with the dream catcher on the wall beside the bed.

"We're doing _Merchant of Venice_." She sighed, not feeling the power to fight him about his poor manners. He scrunched his nose.

"No, we're not."

"Yes, we are," She bent down to pick up the book from the floor next to the shelf and tossed it to him. He stood and strode over to the shelf and put it back in the empty slot that it was missing from. His index finger gently ran down the spines of each book as he carefully examined them. He paused at a book before knocking on it with one of his rings before pulling it out, along with the book next to it. He shoved them both into her chest and walked back to the bed.

"A bit morbid, don't you think?" She read the titles of the books he'd picked out: _Macbeth _and _Hamlet_.

"Pick one of those. We're not doing a comedy."

"Why not?"

"Tragedies have more substance," He stated simply. She cocked her head at him with a small smile. She was surprised at the possibility that he had even read either of them, and even had _thoughts_ about them at all. "Don't smile at me." He rolled his eyes and faced the window. She hadn't realized that she had been. The smile immediately fell from her face and was replaced with a scowl.

"Okay… We'll do Hamlet." A small grin flashed across his features before they quickly hardened again.

"Good. Read it to me." He sighed, resting his head back on her pillow.

"What? No." She scoffed. Mambo emerged from the bathroom and froze at the sight of both of them sitting on the bed. He smirked at Rory, who narrowed her eyes in return. Mambo cleared his throat, and Sweet Pea looked up at him before sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"Sweet Pea," he extended his hand toward her brother, his rings shining in the light as he moved his hand.

"Mambo, or Nico. Either one is fine," Mambo shook his hand. Rory raised her eyebrow. She had never heard him ask to be called 'Nico' before. She took a sip from the water bottle on the counter. "So, what are your intentions with my sister?" Rory choked.

"Absolutely nothing, dude. Trust me." Sweet Pea chuckled. Rory rolled her eyes. _God, he's so irritating._ Mambo raised his eyebrow and nodded at him slowly. She surely thought he was going to threaten the Serpent or something in true new-Mambo fashion, but he said nothing before turning to Rory.

"I'm going to go out for a bit, need anything from the store? Condoms?" He clowned with a smile. She could feel Sweet Pea's eyes on her. She shifted uncomfortably. _Maybe I should fuck with him._

"Sure, I might go to prom with Reggie, after all." She half-joked. She felt slightly uncomfortable joking about sex with her younger brother, but this is what Mambo had intended. He nodded with a mischievous grin and faced Sweet Pea.

"It was nice meeting you. I'll be back in a few hours." And with that he was gone. Sweet Pea shifted, then returned to his previous position on the bed.

"Read it to me." He repeated. He stared at her blankly for a few moments before she gave in, out of sheer annoyance. She rolled her eyes and flipped the book open to the first page and began reading. He leaned back further into the pillow and stared at the ceiling as he listened to her for a long while.

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy," she read, then heard a soft snore. Her eyes went to Sweet Pea, whose eyes were closed, his mouth just slightly open. "Really?" She raised her voice. He jolted awake.

"What?"

"You were sleeping!" She hissed.

"No, I wasn't," he retorted. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Okay, yeah, but it's only because you're boring."

"Oh, I'm boring you? Fine. Read the damn thing on your own!" She shouted, tears of frustration stinging at her eyes. She threw the book at him. He sprung to his feet and was suddenly in her face.

"Oh, you're going to cry? Am I supposed to feel bad?" He scowled.

"You're a son of a bitch, you know that?" She chuckled bitterly, quickly wiping away her angry tears.

"You thought things would be different because I fucked you, didn't you?" She flinched at the bluntness of his words.

"I didn't, actually. You're despicable. You're a sociopath."

"Am I?" He asked with furrowed eyebrows. _He looks… hurt?_ He stepped closer to her. She stepped back, but he took another step forward. This continued until Rory was backed up against the wall.

"You are." Her breath hitched in her throat. He nodded slowly, seeming to take in what she was telling him. She pushed past him, but he grabbed her arm and spun her back into him, connecting his lips with hers. She pushed back against his chest, but he simply took her wrist and pulled it against him, his other hand snaking around her waist. She eventually stopped fighting it and relaxed into the kiss, their lips moving hungrily and rhythmically against each other. He let go of her wrist, then slowly reached his hand up her shirt, his fingers gently rubbing her sides. His rings were cold against her hot skin. He cupped her lace-clad breast with a large hand, then pinched her nipple, rolling it gently between two fingers. She inhaled sharply. His other hand slipped lower to squeeze her ass. She sighed in contentment.

Suddenly, Sweet Pea broke the kiss and pushed her back gently, a confused expression on his face. He rushed to grab his boots from the floor next to the bed and yanked them on, then ran out the door, riding off on his motorcycle. Rory was left panting, wondering what the hell had just happened, and why she had let him kiss her again.


	9. Chapter 9

Eight

Rory's phone buzzed against her nightstand a few times before it finally woke up. She stared at her screen, wincing at the bright light with one eye still closed. Seven missed calls from Jughead, along with multiple texts. She opened one:

**Jellybean taken. Kurtz involved. Need help searching northside.**

She rubbed her hand over her face to wipe the sleep from her eyes and she sat up, rereading the text over a couple more times to make sure she was reading it right. She checked the timestamp: Ten fifty. She checked the current time at the top of the screen: Twelve forty-two. She swung her legs over her bed before hitting the dial button, pacing back and forth the entire length of the camper. Mambo still wasn't back, and he wasn't sitting outside. He'd left hours ago right after Sweet Pea had gotten there. _Ugh, Sweet Pea._ The phone rang a few times, then went to voicemail. She called again.

"Rory –" Jughead breathed into the phone. He didn't sound like he had been sleeping, but more out of breath.

"Jughead, I'm so sorry. I fell asleep and my phone was on silent and –"

"It's okay, everything is okay now."

"What the hell happened? Is JB okay? Where is Kurtz?" She plopped into one of the armchairs and bit the nail on her thumb nervously.

"Jellybean is asleep in her room. It turns out it was all a ploy to draw me out and get rid of me." He sighed.

"Get rid of you? What do you mean?"

"The Gargoyle King –"

"Jughead you told me you stopped playing that." She interrupted; her voice was small.

"I don't, I promise. Aside from tonight to get my little sister back, at least. Ricky DeSantos took JB, and they let her go once Kurtz had me agree to go with him. I didn't know until I got there and she was nowhere to be seen. He locked me in a freezer. When I broke out, Kurtz was dead. The Gargoyle King killed him." He sighed.

"Oh my god, Jug… are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just shaken up… but listen, I need to tell you something." He hesitated.

"What?" _Was it about Sweet Pea? Did he know?_

"My mom is the new dealer. I've known for a long time, and I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner." _Oh._ She mentally kicked herself for her selfish thoughts.

"Wow…" She didn't know what else to say, really. At least now she knew what was fishy about her aunt being back in town. "Does FP know?"

"He does now. My mom threatened me to keep it to myself, but it came out in the first challenge of the game tonight. My dad was shot at Pop's during the second challenge. We'll get into everything later." He sighed. He sounded so exhausted. Rory's guilt grew, wondering if anything could have been prevented if she was there to help.

"Now what?"

"I think she's going to leave Riverdale now. She said she wanted to take Jellybean with her, but I convinced her otherwise. She _actually_ listened to me." He chuckled bitterly.

"That's surprising." Rory mumbled.

"Yeah… I'm going to try to get some actual sleep. We'll talk more at school, okay?" He yawned.

"Sounds good, goodnight." She hung up and laid back onto her bed. She decided to text Mambo to check on him.

_Again, where the hell are you?_

She forced herself to stay awake, but after thirty minutes without a response, she unwillingly drifted off again, and remained asleep until morning.

A loud pounding on the metal door made Rory jolt awake. She looked at her alarm clock and groaned: five thirty-four. Mambo's air mattress was still empty.

"Mambo, you have a key!" She shouted, her eyes falling closed. The knocking sounded once more. "Oh my god, I'm going to spit-roast you, you _demon_." She hissed as she trudged to the door and flung it open after flipping the lock. She screeched, then attempted to pull her oversized t-shirt down over her bare legs while simultaneously trying to cover her braless chest, as she was only wearing a tee and boy-short panties.

"Nothing I haven't seen before," Sweet Pea stated nonchalantly. Mambo was slung over the tall boy's broad shoulder.

"What did you do to him?" She scrambled to try to pull him down and almost dropped him. Sweet Pea hoisted him back over his shoulder before pushing past her to get inside.

"_I _did nothing, thank you. He's drunk as a skunk." He scoffed.

"Where did you find him?"

"At a bar not far from here."

"Why were you there? You were both there all night?"

"To also get drunk as a skunk, not that it's any of your business. Stop nagging me. They obviously don't card, even when the kid looks like a twelve-year-old," He grumbled, gently laying the unconscious boy onto Rory's bed. "I knew as soon as I saw him there that I wouldn't be drinking tonight, much to my disappointment."

"Why not?" She inquired curiously.

"So that I could watch out for him." He sheepishly shrugged, yet still seemed tough somehow.

"Oh," she replied softly. "Why did you want to get drunk?"

"That's none of your concern," He stated coldly, opening her mini fridge and pulling out some orange juice. "Glass?"

"Well, since it's none of my concern, you can't have any of that." She replied, and tried to snatch it from his hand. He held it up above her head to where she couldn't reach it and unscrewed the cap before expertly waterfalling the liquid into his mouth.

"Because I had to spend a couple of hours with _you_." He scoffed after swallowing. _Okay, ouch._

"What the hell is your _problem_?"

"What do you mean?" He asked, moving to sit in an armchair.

"You're an asshole most of the time, then you try to get it in, and then you're an asshole again. Like, make up your mind!" She laughed exasperatedly.

"If you think that a simple fuck is going to change how I interact with you, you'd be wrong. If that's what you want, you're going to have to get at the end of the very long line of other girls that are waiting for the same thing," He spat. After staring into her teary eyes, he softened, but only slightly. "Get dressed, we're going to Pop's." _Is he serious?_

"I'm not going anywhere with you." She snapped.

"I wasn't asking. Get dressed." He glowered. She felt an unexpected heat rise in the pit of her stomach and she squeezed her legs together, reaching for the counter to steady herself as nonchalantly as possible. However, he noticed, and a smirk crept onto his face. "Get…" he took a long step so that he was right in front of her, and he slowly ran a hand up her thigh, "Dressed." She blinked, gulping.

"I… I said –"

"You have an awful poker face, _princess_," he paused. "What's the matter, afraid of temptation?" She glanced over to her brother's unconscious figure. "He'll be fine, now let's get going before I fuck you in the bathroom." His bluntness made her squeak. She grabbed a pair of leggings and a band t-shirt and scurried to the bathroom to change. _Do not. Do not. Do not._ Her mind raced.

When she emerged from the bathroom, Sweet Pea was at the far end of the camper, examining the paintings and drawings hung on the all while absentmindedly running his calloused fingers over the strings of her cello in the corner. The sight of the gentle movements of his fingers gave her goosebumps. She leaned against the counter and just watched him for a few moments before clearing her throat.

"Did you make these?" He asked, not shifting his attention from the artwork on the wall.

"Yeah, I did." She replied sheepishly. She didn't let many people see her work.

"They're nice," he said softly, then he plucked one of the cello strings. It was deep, and the vibrations hummed through the silent space. After pouring herself a glass of orange juice, she walked over to stand beside him, trying to pinpoint which piece he was looking at. She took a sip. "So… a little off subject, but I really want to put my fingers inside of you." She choked on her drink, coughing back into the cup.

"Are you always so blunt?"

"I was not made to be subtle." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"You are so confusing," she began, peeking backward to make sure her brother was still breathing. He cocked his head to the side curiously, turning to face her. "You want me one minute, verbally abuse me the next, then try to be nice to me. You're making me dizzy."

"Don't confuse attraction with emotions, Jones," He stated simply. _He's right. They're not feelings, just a mutual attraction. A mutual attraction you didn't know existed until two days ago._ The thought made her breathe easier. "Let's go."

When they stepped outside into the dark, early-morning air, Sweet Pea's motorcycle was no where to be seen, but her mom's car was parked right out front, meaning that he'd driven it here.

"You drove my mom's car?" Rory groaned.

"I figured you would have nagged me more if I left it at a random bar, and I'm never in any mood to hear that." He rolled his eyes and sat in the driver's seat.

"You're not driving! One time is enough."

"You're right, you drive," He replied sarcastically with an amused expression plastered on his handsome features as he held out the keys to her. She gazed at him blankly for a few moments before huffing and moving to sit in the passenger's seat. "That's what I thought." He smirked as he turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the remnants of Sunnyside Trailer Park.

The drive was silent. Rory's eyes wandered awkwardly before landing on Sweet Pea's freshly bruised knuckles gripping the wheel. Before she knew what she was doing, her fingers were gently tracing over the reddish-purple marks on his hands. He seemed to freeze, and his whole body stiffened. She caught herself, yanking her hand away and placing it under her thigh so that she couldn't move it again. He veered off to the side of the road, parking the car and making sure the doors were locked before he pushed himself backward into the back seat.

"What are you –" Rory started to say, but was cut off by Sweet Pea's lips smashing into hers, hungrily begging for entrance into her mouth with his tongue. She obliged, too caught off guard to protest or to much else. His hands cupped her jaw firmly as he pulled her into the back with him, and she let it happen. It was as if her brain wasn't working, or maybe she was ignoring the protests from her subconscious.

He yanked her shirt over her head and gently pushed her back to lay back onto the seat. He wound his arm around her back and expertly unhooked her bra with one hand, and he pulled the straps down her arms before tossing the article into the front seat of the car. He detached his lips from hers and peppered kisses down her neck, stopping to suck at each nipple for a couple of seconds before continuing down her abdomen, stopping right above the waistband of her leggings. He hooked his fingers into the waistband and slowly pulled them down her legs, revealing her black lace panties. He groaned at the sight, feeling his cock start to throb. Rory propped herself on her elbows to look down at him. He kept eye contact with her as he gently rubbed her over her panties, lowering his face further down. She suddenly grew very nervous. No one had ever been down there with their mouth before.

"Tell me what you want." He whispered against her heat before placing a gentle kiss. He pulled her panties down her legs slowly, holding her gaze.

"Don't tease me." She whined, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"I mean, my tongue can tease you better than my words can." He smirked.

"I've… I've never…" She trailed off, too embarrassed to tell him.

"You've never been eaten out?" He froze, cocking an eyebrow. She reluctantly shook her head. "Lay back and relax. You'll like it, I promise." She let out a shaky breath and did as he instructed. His lips ghosted over her core before he licked a thick stripe up to her clit.

"_Holy fuck – I –_" She exhaled in a blissful moan. She could feel him smirk against her before he alternated between licking and sucking.

"You taste so fucking good, princess," He breathed, and his voice was so raspy and full of lust it caused her to buck her hips slightly against his mouth. His comment made her cheeks heat up. He hummed against her, and it added to the immense pleasure she was already feeling. He pulled his mouth away and brought up two digits two her wetness, slowly teasing her entrance, causing her to whimper helplessly. "I love the little sounds that you make when I'm teasing you." It was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. He pushed his fingers into her slowly, curling upward against her walls before moving them in and out at a steady pace. She felt a familiar feeling start to rise in her stomach and her legs began to shake.

"Come for me, baby." He growled against her, sucking her clit as his fingers sped up. She cried out in complete ecstasy as she came undone under him. He palmed himself through his jeans with his other hand as he watched her.

"Sweet Pea –" she panted desperately.

"Yes, princess?"

"Please."

"Please what?"

"Please fuck me." She whimpered, pulling him up by the collar of his flannel and attached her lips to his neck, sucking harshly. He sucked a sharp breath between his teeth and his eyes screwed shut as he fumbled with the button of his jeans. He pushed them halfway down, pulled his stiff length free from confinement and pushed a condom down onto his shaft. He inserted himself into her roughly without much warning. He thrusted into her hard and fast, desperation evident in each movement of his hips. He reached his arm up to support the weight of his body against the window, his hand slipping down slightly from the foggy glass.

"God, you feel so fucking good." He groaned. Rory moaned as she tugged at his shirt desperately, wishing the material away. However, he paid her no mind.

"You're so…" She trailed off, focusing on each stroke he made, perfectly brushing her g-spot with each thrust.

"I'm so what, princess? Tell me." He rushed his words, his movements becoming sloppy. He was close.

"I can't handle it, Sweet Pea." She whimpered. She her nails into his shoulders as she writhed underneath him, coming undone with a string of curses. The sight of her blissful expression sent him reeling, spilling into the condom.

"God damn it." Sweet Pea huffed angrily, pulling himself out of her and yanking the condom off before pulling his jeans back up.

"What?" She asked timidly. _Did I do something wrong?_

"I never finish that quickly. I don't fucking get it." He groaned, climbing into the front seat.

"Oh. It's not a big –"

"Whatever. What did you think? Of me eating you out, I mean." He asked breathily, still panting from their activities. She felt her cheeks heat up.

"It was… nice." She shifted uncomfortably. _It was so much more than nice._ She wondered how many times he'd done that before.

"Right, nice," he cocked an eyebrow mockingly. He also knew that it was so more than nice from her reaction. Her moans seemed to echo in his ears. "Let's go get some breakfast or whatever, even though I already had mine." He smirked, starting the car and pulling back into the road in the direction of Pop's. She couldn't understand why she went through with this again. He was all seven of the deadly sins. There was just something about him… _Satan does that thing with his tongue. _She shook the thought out of her head, mentally slapping herself.

"So, you're going to prom with Reggie this Saturday?" Sweet Pea asked, seemingly uninterested, as he forked eggs into his mouth. Rory stiffened, swallowing the bacon she was chewing and shifted in her seat. She shrugged, avoiding eye contact as she washed it down with her drink. She didn't say yes, so she wasn't _lying_. He cocked a brow at her curiously, but didn't press further. The silence was thick.

"What about you? Who are you going to prom with?" She cleared her throat. She honestly couldn't imagine that anyone would want to be his date. He snorted. "What's funny?"

"Prom is stupid. I wouldn't be caught dead there. Plus, the theme… _The Renaissance_? No thanks." He scrunched his nose up.

"I'm surprised you think it's a bad theme, _Rogue_." Rory smirked and met his eyes, referencing his role in Gryphons & Gargoyles. Sweet Pea stiffened; his eyes narrowed.

"I don't do that anymore." He said through gritted teeth, dropping his fork onto his plate. A couple early-morning patrons turned around to investigate the commotion.

"Don't you, though?" She challenged him. She knew that she was about to poke the bear, but she didn't care. "You sneak around in leather, take part in breaking and entering, steal, sell smuggled illegal items?" He slammed his fists onto the table and lurched forward, stopping right in front of her face. She flinched slightly, making him frown. He wasn't going to hurt her.

"You don't know anything about me." He said gruffly.

"Doesn't feel good to have someone assume what kind of person you are, does it?" She scoffed, referring to their conversation two days prior, before they…

"You don't know me." He repeated softly, shifting his gaze out the red neon illuminated diner window. She sighed, suddenly feeling guilty for not giving him the benefit of the doubt. _To be fair, he did the same thing to me…_

"Then tell me."

"What?"

"Tell me stuff about you."

"Absolutely not. What do you think this is, a date?" He said harshly, motioning between the two of them.

"You know more about me than I do about you. That isn't fair," Rory rolled her eyes and deadpanned. "We're _project partners_ after all." He eyed her curiously, seeming to be deep in thought.

"Fine," Sweet Pea threw his hands up. "One question." He took a sip of his black coffee. She already knew what she was going to ask him.

"Who took your virginity?" She asked bluntly, taking a page from _his_ book, but he didn't seem phased.

"None of your business."

"No, you said one question. That is my question. It's only fair, you know mine."

"No, I don't…" He paused. "Wait, that fleabag Bulldog popped your cherry?" He howled, his features displaying pure disgust. Rory rolled her eyes at him, again, and she was sure they'd eventually get stuck that way if she spent time with Sweet Pea much longer.

"Say what you want about him, but he's hot as hell," She grinned. Sweet Pea faked gagging noises. "So, that is my question. Who and when?"

"That's two questions." He wagged his finger slowly.

"Just answer them!" She groaned.

"When did you and Mantle do the horizontal tango?" He smirked.

"The night before the first day of the school year." She shrugged.

"This school year?" He raised a brow. She nodded sheepishly. "How many have there been?"

"Two. Well, three, now."

"Who is the other one?"

"Sweet Pea!" Rory hissed in disapproval.

"Tell me." He chuckled, taking another sip of his coffee

"… Archie. Now answer my questions."

"_Archie fucking Andrews_?" Sweet Pea raised his voice, causing the diner patrons to shoot daggers at him. He scoffed back at them, and folded his arms over his chest with clenched fists when he refocused his attention on the small-framed brunette across from him. She gave him a bored look, signaling that she was waiting for him to answer her still. He took a deep breath and leaned back into the booth. "I was fourteen when it happened."

"Shocking," She snorted sarcastically. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Who was it? Anyone I know? Toni?"

"God, no, definitely not Tiny. She's like my sister," his face contorted in disgust. He shifted awkwardly in his seat before lowly saying, "Serafina Kowalski." Rory scanned her memory for any student with that name at the school, but nothing came to mind. _Maybe she was older? Maybe… Wait a minute. _Rory froze.

"_Sweet Pea, you're late." Mrs. Kowalski stated as she stood up straight, putting a hand on her hip._

"_Morning, _Serafina_." He challenged with a smirk. The Polish woman raised her eyebrows._

"Kowalski…? Mrs. Kowalski?" She whispered. He avoided eye contact, idly scooting his remaining eggs around his plate with his fork.

"She used to teach freshman English at Southside High. I'd stay after school for tutoring all the time. One day, I was the only kid in tutoring. She's suddenly putting the moves on me. I mean, I thought she was hot, so I flirted back. One thing led to another…" He shrugged, trailing off. She could see how extremely uncomfortable he was. It was obvious that he hadn't told many people about this from his body language, and the way he kept his voice down.

"You were fourteen," her heart wrenched, thinking of Mambo. She suddenly began to wonder if something similar happened to him. "Who else knows?"

"Just Fangs… and now you," he paused. "If you mention this to anyone, I'll tell everyone that you let me eat you out in the backseat of your car." He spat. She rolled her eyes.

"You didn't tell your mom?"

"I didn't think it was a big deal at the time. She's hot, and older," he shrugged. "Besides, my mom was too high to give a damn." He chuckled bitterly. With that added tidbit, she now had more information than they'd agreed on exchanging. She decided to be vulnerable and even the playing field.

"My mom was too high to give a damn, too." She mumbled, barely audible as she reached across the table to put her hand on top of his white-knuckled fist. His eyes met hers, and he gave her a small smile before his features hardened again. He pulled his hand away, letting hers fall to the table as he went back to eating.


	10. Chapter 10

Nine

"Aurora."

"Reginald." Rory acknowledged the boy plainly as he moved to stand next to her. He offered her a flask that he pulled from beneath his royal blue and gold embroidered velvet cape. He looked like a prince – well, he was _dressed _like one, at least. She shook her head from side to side before taking a sip of her punch.

"Suit yourself," he grinned, tipping the open container into his own goblet. "So, who is your escort tonight?" The small talk felt unnatural between the pair.

"You're looking at her." She said curtly. Part of her still yearned for her ex-boyfriend's touch, but she knew she had been down that path too many times before.

"Couldn't get a date?"

"I didn't want one," she rolled her eyes at his mocking tone. "My choice of date, if I wanted one, is accompanying _your _choice of date tonight." He nodded slowly, his eyes landing on Veronica and Archie across the gym. They were smiling and laughing as they slow danced in each other's arms.

"You look beautiful, by the way." He stated honestly, changing the subject as he ran his fingers gently down her white, gold embellished sleeve. She felt her cheeks heat up.

"Thank you." She replied quietly. Her eyes scanned the room once more, but she didn't know what – or who – she was looking for.

"Want to dance?" Reggie asked, wincing after the threw the rest of the drink back. She snorted, shooting him a quizzical glance. "Come on, just one dance. I promise that I won't try to take you home… this time." He chuckled as he set her goblet on the table and stretched out his elbow toward her. She felt herself staring at his handsome features a little too long. She blinked her impure thoughts out of her head before taking his arm. He led her to the middle of the dance floor, and she felt Veronica's eyes on them. She was frowning, and Archie was oblivious, gazing longingly at his dance partner.

"Always have to be the center of attention, don't you?" Rory sighed, giving him her best fake smile.

"Of course. I wouldn't want it any other way," he joked, pulling her into him. _He smells heavenly._ She frowned as he expertly maneuvered her around the dance floor. "What's wrong?"

"You don't want me to answer that."

"I do." He pulled her flush against him as he dodged another couple that were not as skilled as they were. He mumbled an apology to her for the sudden movement as he glared at the boy, who instantly moved him and his partner the other direction. Reggie was a gentleman… sometimes.

"Do you ever wish things had worked out between us?" Rory inquired. She didn't want to be with him – she was pretty sure, at least – but the question had been burning in her mind during the last several months. _Does he regret the things he did? Was he sorry for the pain he caused? Did he even care at all?_

"I think about it sometimes," Reggie sighed, spinning her out and then back into him. "But no, I don't think I do," _Ouch._ She raised her eyebrows at him in shock. "I'm like… I'm like a wild horse. I can't be tied down."

"Except for Princess Veronica Lodge." She let out an bitter laugh. He shrugged, his eyes searching the gym to find the raven-haired girl again.

"But listen, no hard feelings, okay? You were _a lot_ of fun," he smirked. "Maybe we could fool around every once in a while," Rory's hand flew up to Reggie's cheek. A few nearby students gawked at the pair and started whispering to one another. "What the _fuck_, Rory!?"

"Go disappoint the next girl, Reggie. I'm busy." Rory managed in a raspy voice as tears stung her eyes. When she whipped around, she could have sworn she saw Sweet Pea staring back at her, but she figured that it was just her blurred vision, for when she blinked away her tears he was nowhere to be seen. Plus, he'd expressed his disdain for the mere idea of prom a few days prior. She walked to grab a new goblet of punch, not trusting her fellow students enough to find her old one that she'd left on a random table earlier. She stood near the punch bowl and made small talk with a few of her classmates, complimenting their medieval costumes and talking about the prom after parties, assuring her that she was invited to all of them, of course. Eventually, they'd walked out to the dance floor, leaving her standing alone.

For the third time since she'd been standing at the refreshment table, she felt a boy behind her slide his hand up the backside of her dress to brush against her ass, and she refused to ignore it any longer. She now knew for sure that it wasn't an accident. Rory dug her hand into her satchel, wrapping her hand around a cool metal object and pulling it out.

"Touch me again and you'll lose your hand." Rory spun around to face him, flicking out the switchblade that Jughead gave her after his recent encounter with the gargoyles. She surprised herself with her own actions, but stood her ground, hoping that the chaperones couldn't see the weapon in her hand. _This will for sure get me expelled, what am I doing!? _She recognized the boy from the football team.

"If you didn't want anyone to touch you, you shouldn't have worn something so fitted, you Serpent slut. You've been hanging around them an awful lot lately." The boy sniggered. He reeked of alcohol, which made her eye his goblet inquisitively. In truth, Rory's dress wasn't revealing in the slightest.

"I'm _not _a Serpent." Rory said through gritted teeth.

Suddenly, Sweet Pea had the boy against the brick of the gym with his forearm pressed against the boy's windpipe, securing him to the wall. _So, he was here. Where did he even come from?_

"_Would you like to lose your tongue as well?_" Sweet Pea said lowly, but loud enough for her to hear over the music. "You better get out of here before I make good on my threat, Bulldog." The boy drunkenly stumbled off, mumbling curses under his breath. Sweet Pea kept his eyes on him as he walked coolly toward Rory.

"_Rogue_," She acknowledged him with a raised brow. He was dressed in black from head to toe, the fabrics a mixture of leather and faux furs. He was wearing boots that were slightly 'dressier' than his normal, worn pair. "I had that taken care of, Jon Snow."

"_Bard_," He acknowledged her back. "It didn't look like it." She rolled her eyes.

"Bard?"

"Yeah, you know… you play music." He shrugged, absentmindedly scanning the crowd.

"I thought prom was stupid? Especially _this_ _one_."

He shrugged again. "Something felt… weird. I had to come, just to keep watch."

Fangs appeared at their side, and he clapped a hand onto Sweet Pea's shoulder. "Well, look who showed up to a school function!"

"Well, look who's not joined at the hip of his new Farmie boyfriend." Sweet Pea scoffed bitterly, avoiding Fang's eyes.

"Dude…"

"Don't 'dude' me, dude. I haven't seen you outside of this school for _weeks_. What, no time for the Serpents anymore? No time for your best friend? You were supposed to be undercover. Instead, you let yourself be _brainwashed_ by the kooks." Rory felt incredibly awkward standing there, but didn't want to leave Sweet Pea alone with Fangs. He seemed really hurt.

"You'd understand if you came by sometime… If you listened what Edgar has to say." Fangs sighed, but smiled at him hopefully.

"Even if I wanted to, Fangs, I'm not weak-minded enough to fall for that crap." Sweet Pea spat, finally facing his best friend. He was trying his best to hurt Fangs' feelings, and it was obvious.

"Maybe you wouldn't be so miserable if you were more _open_-minded, brother." Fangs smiled weakly, patting his counterpart on the back before starting to walk away. After a couple of steps, he looked over his shoulder. "You look _amazing_, Rory."

"Thank you, Fangs," She gave him a small smile, a blush creeping up on her cheeks. He nodded and made his way back to Kevin. Sweet Pea's body stiffened as his narrowed eyes fixated on the retreating boy. "What the hell was that, Sweet Pea?"

"You look nice." Sweet Pea rushed in a grumble.

"Thank you – now answer the question."

"He ditched me, and the rest of the Serpents, for the Farm. End of story."

"But –"

"I said end of story." He hissed.

"Good evening, Riverdale Renaissance Revelers! At long last, it's time to announce this year's Court. And the winner of prom queen is… Betty Cooper!" The school's secretary chimed into the microphone. Rory beamed, feeling ecstatic for her friend, as she clapped and scanned the room for the blonde. "Is Betty here?"

Rory's attention shifted to Jughead, who was suddenly beside them. "Have you seen Betty? I can't find her anywhere."

"Maybe she went to the bathroom. I can go check?" He nodded quickly, his eyes darting around the room nervously. "Relax, Jughead, she's probably getting some air. I'll go check the ladies' room."

The hall was eerily quiet, and Rory was surprised that there weren't couples groping each other in the shadowed corners. She pushed open the door to the bathroom, and was met with the walls covered in red marker, the same phrase repeated:

Flip For Your Fate.

On one of the sinks sat two goblets of blue liquid and a coin.

"Betty?" Rory's voice echoed with the acoustics of the bathroom. She saw heels in the gap of the bottom of a stall at the far end of the bathroom. "Betty, it's Rory. Are you okay?" She leaned against the stall door slightly, and it pushed open. "Betty –"

_That's not Betty._

_Who is that?_

_There's blood everywhere._

_Where is the rest of her face?_

Sweet Pea burst into the bathroom. She hadn't realized that she'd been screaming. He pulled her into him, her tears soaking the front of his cloak. He cradled her head with his large hand.

"Don't look, Rory, don't look."

They didn't speak the entire ride to Jughead's house. Rory had texted Mambo to grab some clothes for the both of them and to meet her there. The Black Hood was back, and no one was safe. She couldn't risk herself or her little brother by being alone in Sunnyside Trailer Park, no matter how tough Mambo insisted that he was. FP was still out doing his sheriff duties when they arrived; Mambo sat in the recliner, staring blankly into the fire. Betty and Jughead were cuddled up on the couch. He whispered sweet nothings and reassurances into her ear as he stroked her hair while she cried into his chest. He met Sweet Pea's eyes when he and Rory entered, and they simply nodded at each other.

Rory mindlessly made her way to the guest room, exhausted from her wailing. The images kept flashing through her head. Sweet Pea was on her heels, watching her every move carefully. He sat on the bed when she stepped into the en suite and closed the door behind her before starting the shower. She wasn't sure how long she stayed in the steamy water, but she had to get out when it started running cold. When she exited in only a towel, Sweet Pea was still there, his hands folded on his lap as he stared at the ground. His cloak was on the floor and he was just left in his black dress pants and his undershirt. His eyes met hers, and they were full of concern.

"Do… Would you want to talk about it?" She shook her head rapidly, choking back a sob. He nodded, standing slowly. "I'll let you rest." He walked toward the door.

"Sweet Pea…" She choked. He quickly spun on his heel. "Will you please stay with me tonight? I can't be by myself."

She dropped the towel to the floor, completely exposing herself to him, but she didn't care. She didn't have the energy to shield herself or to put on pajamas. He nodded slowly as he watched her climb under the covers. He pulled his shirt over his head and kicked his pants down his legs before getting under the comforter next to her. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips before pulling her into his side as he traced circles on her bare back with his thumb, and she instantly fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Ten

"Baby," Rory blinked the sleep out of her eyes and was met with Sweet Pea's unconscious figure. She had never seemed the boy so peaceful. His brow furrowed in his sleep and he shifted under the sheets. "Baby, don't go…" His voice was gruff from sleep. He was dreaming.

"Sweet Pea?" She propped herself on her elbow and pulled the comforter over her bare body. He didn't budge. "Hey." Rory cleared her throat, pushing his shoulder. His eyes flew open, and once he reoriented his senses, he sprung up from the bed and started to pace around the room.

"I shouldn't have stayed with you." He stated bitterly as he paced.

"Okay, then leave. Nothing is keeping you here." She scoffed, flipping over to face away from him. She dug her fingernails into her palms and she winced slightly. She hugged her arms to her chest as she remembered last night's events. She screwed her eyes shut, but when she heard the door close, they opened again. Sweet Pea's clothes were no longer on the floor, and he was nowhere to be seen in the room. Tears stained her cheeks, and she wasn't sure if the cause was the traumatic events from the night before that_ also _brought up bad memories, or if it was the tumultuous relationship with the confusing Rogue variable that had spent the night holding her. _They're not feelings, it's just an attraction. I hate him. I hate how he makes me feel._

"I'm coming with you."

"Mambo, I'll only be a few minutes. Besides, when has the Black Hood ever come out during the day?" Rory sighed shakily, though she was reasoning more with herself than with her brother. "Jughead's on speed dial if I need anything. He texted me saying he's headed to Junkyard Steve's so he won't be too far."

"I'm not taking no for an answer." He gritted his teeth, stabbing his switchblade into the wood table. Rory blinked at him, unphased by his behavior, for once.

"That's too bad because that's the answer I'm giving you." She huffed definitively.

"Well, you're not fucking walking. At least let me drive you!" Mambo put his head in his hands and tugged at his messy dark hair. Rory mumbled a 'fine,' and with that, they were out the door and heading to Sunnyside Trailer Park.

"How did you expect you carry your art supplies and your cello, along with everything else, _walking_?" Mambo mocked.

"I was going to have you drive me, I just like watching you squirm," Rory grinned. Mambo rolled his eyes at her, pulling into the gravel lot of mostly burned trailers. As he parked the car, his eyes wandered to a trailer in the distance at the furthest end of the trailer park. He didn't move when Rory opened the car door, still fixated on whatever caught his eye. "You coming? What are you looking at?"

"I thought I saw…" He trailed off, narrowing his eyes and craning his neck to get a different angle. "Go on ahead. If I'm not here by the time you're done, just honk and I'll come back." Mambo opened and then slammed the door closed and started walking away from the car, not leaving any time for his sister to protest. She saw him pull his switchblade out of his pocket but wrote it off as just a precaution. She couldn't let her anxiety keep dictating her thoughts, even though her gut told her otherwise.

Rory fumbled through the drawers of her dresser, packing a few outfits into a large duffle bag. She wasn't sure how long that they would be staying at Jughead's. It was still traumatic for her to be in that house, but she didn't have much of a choice. It was much better than being caught alone in the middle of an abandoned trailer park. She didn't have only herself to think about anymore. She was now 'raising' her brother, though it seemed like he was raising her, sometimes, with the way he protected her. She took her cello outside and put it in the trunk of the car, along with her art supplies, before returning to the camper to finish packing the necessities. While she was in the bathroom retrieving her hygiene products, she heard the door open.

"So, what was it, a plastic bag?" Rory joked, tucking her body wash into the side of the bag. He didn't answer. The footsteps coming to her direction were heavy… boot thuds. For a split second, she thought it was maybe Sweet Pea, coming to spew more venom at her; but when she turned around to investigate her brother's silence, she was met with green eyes, that were not her brother's, peering through a black hood and a gun pointed at her face. Rory froze, dropping her shampoo to the ground. She bottle rolled until it was stopped by the man's boot. Her heart was racing, and she scanned his body to make sure it wasn't a sick joke that someone was playing on her. Her eyes landed on the hook that replaced what was once his hand. It seemed like he'd recognized her, though she had only met Hal Cooper a few times.

"She screamed for you, you know. Your friend… What was her name… Martha?" He said lowly, mockingly. Except his voice wasn't his voice. It was… distorted.

"Midge," Rory stated boldly, but shakily. Tears escaped her eyes and poured down her cheeks. She didn't want this _monster_ to see that she was afraid, and she didn't want to be his next victim. Her eyes landed on his hook, and images of that unknown girl's face flashed through her memory. "Please, leave." She pleaded desperately, though she knew her attempts would be futile. He laughed at her darkly, taking her phone from the counter and stomping on it, crushing it beneath his boot.

"Where is the sinner known as Jughead Jones?" He asked her simply. She eyed the small gap between his shoulder and the doorframe. Her fight or flight instinct kicked in, and she would have to do both. She prayed to whatever higher power or supernatural force that there might be as she darted past him, knocking into his shoulder. She flung objects from the counter behind her as she passed them, putting any obstacles that she could between her and the serial killer that had invaded her home.

"Help!" She wailed into the open air. He whipped around and yanked her long ponytail, forcing her to the ground. She let out a blood-curdling scream, hoping that Mambo would be able to hear her; that anyone would be able to hear her. He pinned her wrists to the floor with his knees, resting his entire weight on her as he poked the point of his hook into her jugular. She cried and screamed, doing everything in her power to get him off of her, but to no avail. The barrel of his pistol was pressed to the center of her forehead.

"Tell me where he is and I will spare your life," He growled, applying more pressure to her neck. She felt the hook pierce her skin and she yelped, feeling thick liquid running down her neck. She wouldn't give Jughead up. She couldn't. "You have five seconds before _I_ _kill you._" She panicked. _I can't die._

"Junk… Junkyard Steve's." She choked out. _Betrayal._ She was so ashamed of her weakness. The door burst open, and before she knew it, Mambo was on top of the Black Hood's back, his switchblade plunged into his shoulder. He yanked it out as the man stood to throw him off. The Black Hood swung his hook at him, and her brother ducked. Mambo threw a punch, which connected with the Hood's jaw. The man ran to the door, but on his way out, Mambo lunged and sliced his thigh, which caused the killer to groan in pain. Mambo ran out after him, but once it was clear that the man had retreated, he rushed to his sister's side. He cradled her, rocking her back and forth as she sobbed, her blood staining his white shirt.


	12. Chapter 12

Eleven

Rory hadn't left the house in days. Hell, she hadn't left her _room_ in days. Mambo would come in to bring her meals, and he'd sit with her to watch television for a few hours every now and then. The other hours she'd spent painting or drawing, and practicing cello. FP would come down to check on her every day before and after work, and Jughead would come down just so they could sit in each other's company while he typed on his computer.

"_I betrayed you." Rory bawled into her cousin's chest. Jughead's arms tightened around her, shushing her as he rubbed her back._

"_If you hadn't done what you did, and you got hurt… or worse… I would have never forgiven myself," he sighed. "Please don't keep beating yourself up. I'm fine. Nothing happened to me, Rory."_

"How long are you going to stay hidden in here?" Jughead asked sympathetically, closing his laptop and shifting his attention to her. Rory broke her trance, simply shrugging at him in return. The doorbell sounded, causing Jughead to break his gaze. He pulled his switchblade out of his pocket, as he was now permanently on edge from the tumultuous events that he and his friends had been through lately. "Stay here."

And with that, he was up the stairs and at the front door. Rory dug her fingernails into her palms as she listened closely for any type of commotion, reaching for the switchblade Jughead had given her a couple of weeks prior. A few moments of silence passed before an apprehensive "all clear" was heard from her cousin.

"Hey, I'm going to head to Pop's… Stay here, please. I'll call one of the Serpents over here to keep watch or something, okay? Just please don't go anywhere." Jughead stressed from up the stairs after a few more moments of silence. She heard the front door slam not long after. _That was… weirder than normal._

Sweet Pea knocked at the front door hesitantly. He was frustrated that Jughead had _him_ come here, out of all the Serpents, especially after the other morning and how he left things with Rory. He knew he was being unfair; he knew he was all over the place, he just didn't care. _Yes, you do._ He winced at his subconscious.

The door opened slightly, revealing Mambo Hale's shorter, tense frame. Mambo looked him up and down carefully, blade in hand, before briefly shutting the door to undo the deadbolt to let him inside. He didn't say a word to him as he entered, moving to sit back in the dining room chair that he had pulled up in front of the door.

"Hey, dude," Sweet Pea cleared his throat awkwardly. Mambo nodded at him in acknowledgment, his face stone cold. _Did she tell him about the other morning?_ "You good?"

"Watching," He replied, spinning his open knife between his fingers. The sight gave Sweet Pea anxiety, even though that was something _he_ did all the time. He didn't know Mambo's skill level with a blade. Sweet Pea hummed in response and shifted his weight to his other leg. "Rory's downstairs in her room. You know the way, I'm sure." Mambo smirked, leaning back in his chair and redirecting his attention to the front door.

"I'm not here for Rory," Sweet Pea huffed. "Jughead sent me to keep watch." Mambo scoffed at this sentiment.

"I can handle this, believe me. She might need someone to talk to, though. Especially after the other day."

"What do you mean "the other day?'" He paled. _She told him._

"We had a little… incident at the camper with the Black Hood." Mambo shifted uncomfortably. _Oh. __What?_

"What? When?" He rushed out, beginning to pace.

"After you left that morning," Mambo cocked an eyebrow. Sweet Pea froze and turned to face him. He was clearly enjoying watching Sweet Pea squirm. "I saw you leave. I was half asleep, but I saw you." He motioned to his air mattress behind the couch. Sweet Pea nodded slowly.

"I –"

"Rory's in her room in the basement." Mambo reiterated, turning his back to the older boy as he zeroed in on the door once more. Sweet Pea inhaled slowly, spinning to start toward the stairs. He knocked on the wooden door, but there was no answer. He could hear music softly playing behind the door before he opened it, letting himself in. Her dark eyes fixated on him after a moment; she was clearly in deep thought, as her eyes were glazed over. He leaned awkwardly against the doorframe.

"He had to send _you_." Rory sighed, frowning. He shoved his hands into his pockets with annoyance on his features. "What, did he hire you as my private security detail without telling me?" He ignored her. His eyes fell on the bled-through bandages on her neck, and he was suddenly filled with panic.

"Your neck." His voiced cracked, betraying him. She raised a hand to the spot, wincing as she barely touched it.

"I guess it needs to be changed. Could you go get Mambo? He's really good with injuries." Rory mumbled.

"So am I. I'll do it," Sweet Pea dictated, walking across the room and into the bathroom to retrieve supplies from the medicine cabinet. She simply sighed, seeming far too exhausted to protest. She hadn't slept in days. Once he found gauze, antibiotic ointment, cotton balls, and hydrogen peroxide, he exited the bathroom and sat next to her on the bed. She avoided eye contact. "What happened?" He was honestly afraid to take the soiled bandage off – afraid of what he might see.

"He…" She trailed off. "I don't want to talk about that. I can't. Please." He nodded at her plea, gingerly removing the red-stained gauze, revealing a two-inch gash at the side of her throat. It was still bleeding, even though it had been a few days. The amount of blood from that particular sized wound troubled him.

"It doesn't seem to need stitches," he noted, pouring some of the hydrogen peroxide onto a cotton ball before pressing it to the wound. She hissed, jumping slightly at the stinging and burning sensation. "Sorry. Just a few more seconds." He held the cotton to her neck. He removed the bloodied material, and she gasped at the sight of it.

"It's been days, how is it still bleeding that much?"

"I'm not sure," Sweet Pea sighed, doing his best to hide the concern in his voice. "You should probably see a doctor."

"No," Rory rapidly shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere. You can't make me go anywhere." She was desperately pleading with him. This was the first time she actually looked into his eyes that night.

"Okay," he caved, his eyes swept the room and landed on a small bottle of super glue. "I have an idea, but you might not like it," He reached for the bottle. "It's safe, but not ideal. It will seal the gash." She hesitated but ended up agreeing to the method. He went to work, applying the antibiotic after pulling the skin together to seal it. He dabbed the excess blood away before taping a fresh set of gauze over it.

"Thanks…" She cleared her throat. They avoided eye contact and sat in silence for a few minutes. "How do you know so much about this?" She finally broke the silence.

"I had to learn. You can't exactly go to the hospital all the time when you're a gang member. They ask too many questions." He shrugged.

"I'm surprised you've had to… I mean, you know how to handle yourself in a fight." She insisted.

"Fists and knives can only get you so far when you're up against bullets."

"You've been _shot_?" Rory gasped. Sweet Pea lifted up his shirt slightly, revealing a round, raised scar near his hipbone. "I didn't even notice when…" Her cheeks reddened. Flashes of their first bout of intimacy burned through their minds. Sweet Pea shrugged with a smirk. "But you know how to fight." She pressed.

"Yes, I do." He confirmed, furrowing his eyebrows at her. _She's acting weird… weirder._

"I…" She cleared her throat, tears stinging at her eyes. "I want you to show me."

"Show you?" He raised a brow. He wasn't sure what she was getting at.

"I want you to show me… how to fight." He scoffed at her request, thinking she was joking. Her face was serious, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I want you to show me how to end it, if necessary."

"You want me to teach you how to _kill someone_?" He barked, suddenly on his feet. "What the fuck, Rory?"

"I don't _want_ to kill someone, you ass!" She hissed back. "I just want to be able to take care of myself! To not always hope for Jughead or _Mambo _to come and rescue me! Do you know how helpless I felt? How scared I was with a gun pressed against my forehead and a hook in my throat, knowing that I couldn't do a damn thing about it? I was a sitting duck, Sweet Pea! If Mambo hadn't come in, I would be _dead!_" Sweet Pea's stomach churned at the thought. "It's not easy for me to come to you for help. It's not easy to be so fucking vulnerable in front of someone I despise. You have no idea what this is like." She whimpered. _I think I have a small idea._

"I don't want to teach you that," He frowned at her as she curled up, knees against her chest. His weakness pulled at his heartstrings, making him sit back down on the bed next to her. No matter what his brain was telling him to do – to get out of there, to run as far from her as he could – he pulled her into his lap and just held her, and she let him. "Why do you keep putting me in this position?" He groaned, his head against her shoulder. She pushed away from him, laying down to face the wall away from him. Sudden anger rose in his chest. Did his feelings not matter? "I'm serious. You drag me into shit and just expect me to be putty in your hand the minute the waterworks come out!"

"I do not!" She hissed, sitting straight up to face him.

"You do, though, don't you?" He challenged. "Do you not see the pattern here?"

"Maybe you need to face the fact that you're not as heartless as you pretend to be."

"Oh, but I am. I'm not pretending. The _only_ reason I'm here is because Jughead told me to be. I'm supposed to be keeping watch. You're manipulative, and I let empathy get in the way of my mission." He scoffed. _Get your head on straight, dude._

"_Empathy_, right." Rory laughed bitterly. "God, I should have had Reggie bring me home on prom night."

"Really? It didn't seem that you thought that way when you invited me into your bed." He spat. She stared at him blankly.

"You're such a bastard."

"Coming from _you?_" _Oh, you definitely should not have said that._

"Get out." She said softly, tears forming in her eyes. _Here we go again._

"No." He softened slightly. _God damn it._

"Sweet Pea, I mean it. Leave." _Do what she says._

"Even if I wanted to, I can't." _Abort. Abort._

The tension was rapidly growing between the pair. He honestly couldn't help himself. Even when she looked exhausted and was yelling at him, the shorts she was wearing and how smooth her legs looked and her big brown eyes were driving him insane. She blinked at him, taking her plump bottom lip between her teeth. They were too attracted to each other to stay away, and it was obvious, no matter how desperately they wished that they could.

She leaned into him first, for once, and he readily accepted her lips on his. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, a silent plea for entrance, and she obliged. He sighed into the kiss as he tasted her tongue – it was sweet, like cherries, and he wasn't sure if it was from her lip balm or just natural sweetness. She peeled her shorts down her legs and climbed onto his lap to straddle him. He kissed down her neck, carefully ghosting over the gauze before attaching his lips to her collarbone, sucking harshly at the skin, which elicited a sweet moan from Rory.

"You sound so pretty when you moan for me, princess." He smirked against her skin. Her hands desperately pulled at the hem of his shirt, and he quickly yanked it over his head as he pulled greedily at her own, and she accommodated him. She ground her hips down onto his hardening length, causing him to screw his eyes shut. He needed her _now_.

He unbuttoned his jeans and yanked them down his legs along with his boxers, just enough to let his cock spring free and slap up against his abdomen. Rory grinned down at him, running her cotton-clad heat up and down along his length. He furrowed his brow, pulling his lips between his teeth to avoid making much noise from the friction.

"Condom?" She exhaled heavily, her movements building her own pleasure immensely. If she didn't stop, she'd come undone right on top of him. Surely enough, he pulled a packet from his wallet that was in the back pocket of his jeans. He tore the foil open with his teeth, but before he could put it on himself, she took the latex from his hands. He cocked an eyebrow, watching her carefully. She maintained eye contact as she rolled the tight rubber down his stiff length, and that alone almost made him bust right then. _She's so…_ Pulling her panties to the side, she lifted her hips to line up with his throbbing head. She ran her slick folds over his tip a few times, prompting a guttural groan from the back of Sweet Pea's throat. He attempted to buck his hips into her, but she raised her hips more so that she was out of range.

"Teach me."

"I don't think you need much teaching." He groaned softly with utter ecstasy as she slowly pumped his shaft.

"No, teach me how to fight." He froze, and she mimicked his movements, doing the same.

"Are you weaponizing sex against me?" He raised his eyebrows at her. She tentatively started to move her hand on his cock again. His breath staggered.

"Maybe." She smirked before slowing to a stop again. He jerked his hips, making her remove her hand completely to break any kind of contact with him. He took her wrist and positioned her hand around him again.

"Clever girl. Fine, just… don't stop…" He sighed, letting his head fall back against the headboard. She grinned at her victory before sliding herself down onto him unexpectedly.

"Fuck's sake," Sweet Pea groaned loudly, screwing his eyes shut. The position was new for them; he was usually on top the two times they'd done this before. This was actually new to him entirely. Sure, girls had tried to start out that way, but he would always immediately flip them over so he was in control. This way, he was literally balls-deep inside of her, and he wasn't sure how she was taking it so well. His eyes fluttered open. Rory's own eyes were screwed shut, her mouth forming a near perfect 'O.' "Does it hurt?"

"No," she lied. She had never been stretched out this much before. He gently rocked his hips upward into her, calling her bluff. Her nails dug into his shoulders and she hissed.

"Do you want to stop?" He asked awkwardly. He'd never been this way with anyone; so… caring. _I don't care. I'm just trying to get off. Consensually, as always._

"No." She rushed out definitively, her eyes now open and boring into his. He blinked a few times, but nodded, thrusting his hips up into her again at a steadier pace. The new sensation was _mind-blowing_. He still had control, but the new angle took his breath away, quite literally. His hips sped up once he felt her body relax, slamming harder into her.

"Oh my _god_, babe," She cried out. His brow raised at the pet name, and a weird feeling rose in his chest, but he pushed it out of his mind as he gripped her hips tightly. "Wait, stop." He immediately halted his movements, searching her face for any sort of pain. She simply smirked at him, pushing his chest backward so he was laid down onto the mattress. She steadied herself on his shoulders as she raised her hips up until just the tip was inside of her, then slammed her hips back down. He exhaled with such a relief that he'd never felt before. He was _always_ in control. This was a completely new feeling for him.

"_Holy…_" He stammered, completely overwhelmed with pleasure as she picked up speed, riding him at a steady pace. He gripped her hips and guided her up and down on his cock.

"Does that feel good, daddy?" Rory's words flew out of her mouth before she even knew what she was saying. Her cheeks immediately reddened as his eyes snapped open to meet hers. "I… I mean…" A switch flipped inside of him, and an animalistic growl escaped Sweet Pea's throat as he hurriedly flipped them over.

"I'm not going to go easy on you, now. Do you think you can handle it?" He asked breathily, lips grazing her neck. She hummed in response, desperately trying to push her hips upward into his. He reached back to hike her leg on his hip with his other hand tightly gripping the headboard and began to relentlessly pound into her. She cried out in pleasure, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist. "You like how _daddy_ makes you feel, don't you, princess?" He growled into her ear between shaky breaths. Rory whimpered in response. "Answer me."

"Yes, daddy." She cried out. This behavior was new to her, and it felt a little weird, but _so right_.

"Don't ever hold sex over my head again, do you understand me?" He growled, moving his hips faster as he snaked a hand between their bodies, rubbing her clit in small circles. He was getting close, and he needed her to finish first.

"Okay, okay!" She was writhing underneath him. "Sweet Pea, I'm going to come."

"Come for me." He hissed in her ear. She cried out in ecstasy, her legs shaking and body stiffening. The beautiful sight of her triggered his own release. He groaned, spilling into the condom, chest heaving as a string of profanities left his lips.

"I guess I found your kink." Rory joked, catching her breath as he rolled off of her.

"One of them," He smirked. "Hey, I hate to burst your euphoric bubble, but our paper is due in two days."


	13. Chapter 13

Twelve

"Here comes trouble," a voice rang through the air, causing a couple of Serpents to look up at Sweet Pea as he entered the HQ. Victoria Peabody, an insufferable twenty-four-year-old woman, stood from her seat. She sauntered in his direction, giving her best 'sex-eyes,' which he ignored. She flirted with all the Serpent guys, but she only had a 'history' with him. "Where have you been, jailbait?" She purred in his ear as she latched onto him. He rolled his eyes and tried to pull away from her, but she only tightened her grip on his arm and molded against him. The smell of cigarettes, whiskey, and cheap perfume invaded his senses.

"I've been busy. Listen, I don't know who let you in, but you're not allowed to be here. You're not a Serpent, and you sure as hell weren't invited," He grumbled. He watched the poker game that some of the gang members were playing across the room to avoid eye contact with her. "Get off of me."

"Don't play hard to get, sweet thing. You know I always get what I want in the end." She giggled. He exhaled with a deep-rooted annoyance. She was right. He'd end up give in and lay her against the sink in the bathroom to shut her up.

"You do realize that the Serpents have been deputized now, right? You're exhibiting some pretty _predatory behavior_, Vicky, preying on a seventeen-year-old boy." He half-threatened.

"Seventeen is legal in some states."

"Not this one."

"Oh, please. You wouldn't say anything. Otherwise, ol' Sheriff Jones would find out about your addictive ways."

"You shut your fucking mouth," Sweet Pea hissed, pinning her slender frame against the wall. She smirked up at him, a devilish glint in her eye. "I haven't gotten drunk in almost two weeks." He lowered his voice now, feeling eyes on them.

"Would he believe you if he searched your trailer?"

"You've never even _seen_ my trailer, you hag." Sweet Pea fumed. She gripped his jaw tightly following his jab at her.

"Watch your mouth, kid. I've got a lot of dirt on you. Now how about we go to another room and I'll try to relax you a bit?" It was obvious in her tone that she was trying to be seductive, but he wanted to laugh in her face. She knew that she was only something to pass the time for him, something – someone – to do when he got bored. As far as he is concerned, she felt the same way. His brain seemed to be on autopilot because once he refocused, they were in the bathroom. His jeans were around his ankles. She knelt in front of him, taking his member into her mouth and sucked harshly. He winced and attempted to push her away, but her hands pushed his hips back until they were against the wall. "Relax, good lookin'. You seem tense."

He wondered what Rory's lips would feel like wrapped around his cock. _Her soft lips. Her wet mouth. Her tongue… _He shook the thought out of his head and took a fistful of Vicky's hair, shoving more of his length down her throat. She gagged and moaned in approval as he began thrusting his hips into her mouth. Her hands running up and down the backs of his thighs. He yanked her up by her wrist and spun her around, pressing her against the sink and pushing her tight miniskirt up. She wasn't wearing underwear. _Of course, she wasn't._

"Make me forget." Sweet Pea mumbled.

"Hm?" She hummed inquisitively, pushing back onto him. He let out a contented sigh. "Babe, I'll make you forget whatever you want." An echo of Rory calling him the same pet name rang through his memory, which made him scrunch his nose up.

"Don't call me that." He replied gruffly. He began to relentlessly pound into her to get the brown-eyed brunette out of his head. She moaned, and Sweet Pea felt incredibly disgusted with himself. _She isn't her. She could never be._

"Okay Rory, all you have to do is make sure to keep your feet planted just like I showed you. And don't –"

"Archie, I'm very knowledgeable when it comes to punching someone in the face." She cocked her brow challengingly. Archie raised his hands in surrender and grinned at her in return, then moved to stand behind the punching bag to hold it in place.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked tentatively.

"You know why." She went rigid, then tried to shake her thoughts out of her head through her entire body.

"He's dead, Rory."

"That's what they said last time." She sighed, tightening the wraps on her knuckles.

"I can guarantee you that he is. I saw it myself. You have nothing to worry about anymore." He smiled reassuringly.

"Oh, please. It's Riverdale." Rory snorted, and he knew she was right.

"Here. Jab with your left twice, and then cross with your right. We need to correct your technique so you don't break your wrist while you're throwing a punch. You need to put power behind it," Archie instructed. "Focus. Thinking of something that makes me angry usually helps me."

"Can it be more than one thing?" She joked. He chuckled and nodded his head at her to throw a few swings. She inhaled deeply through her nose, planting her feet firmly on the ground and bending her knees slightly. _Jab. Jab. Cross._

"Faster."

_Jab, jab. Cross._

"Good. Faster and harder," He encouraged. She cocked a brow at him flirtatiously, and his face reddened. He bit his lip to suppress his laughter. "Come on, Rory. I'm serious."

_Jab jab cross._

"Oh, trust me, I know," She winked. He shook his head, a chuckle escaping his lips. Before she was about to throw another punch, she stopped herself, which caught Archie's attention. "Do you ever think about it?" _Now is not the time, Rory._

"What, us?" He asked, letting go of the punching bag and taking a step back.

"_Can I be honest about something?" Archie's face scrunched up as he prepared himself for the secret that he was about to reveal to the beautiful brunette he's known almost his entire life._

"_Go for it, Red."_

"_I have had the biggest crush on you ever since we were kids in the second grade." He chuckled, covering his face with his hands. She blinked at him. There was no way that she heard him right._

"_Are you only saying this because Veronica broke up with you?" She asked, half-jokingly. He placed his hand over his heart, feigning pain._

"_Ouch. Low blow, Jones," He chuckled. "Maybe it's the beer making me be more open. Who knows?"_

"_You and I both know that you're not even drunk. Nice try at the cop-out, though," Rory grinned, taking another sip from her bottle. They were lucky that Mr. Andrews wasn't home, because if he saw them drinking, he would have flipped his lid. Archie shrugged with a tight-lipped smirk. "Do you really mean that, though?" He hesitated before nodding slowly._

"_Look, I know you and Reggie have a thing sometimes, so I'm not expecting you to –" Rory cut him off by crawling to his end of the couch. Her lips hovered over his._

"_You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say that." His lips latched onto hers. He pulled her onto his lap before lifting her as he stood, making his way toward the stairs up to his room._

Rory shrugged with a sigh, tugging at her hair. He strode over to her and wrapped her in a tight hug. She gazed up at him, her eyes meeting his beautiful copper irises. He brought a hand up to cup her cheek. A calloused thumb gently grazed over the soft skin. "Rory… I can't. I'm with Veronica now." Her eyes fluttered closed and she nodded. Rejection. Again. But she truly did understand. "Well, kind of. She still has to break up with Reggie and –"

"Wait a minute," Rory furrowed her eyebrows. "She started dating Reggie again and then she suddenly changed her mind?" She honestly felt bad for her former on-again-off-again boyfriend. Though it pained her to admit it, she knew how enamored with Veronica that Reggie was – that all her romantic interests were, frankly. Archie sighed, his head fell forward and gently rested against the top of her own. Her heart ached. She was so confused.

"I love you, Rory," Archie rasped, pulling back to look into her eyes to make sure she understood. "But I can't love you like that. Not right now."

"I understand. Really, I do. Are we okay?" Rory smiled at him weakly. He leaned in to kiss the top of her head.

"Always. But hey, Reggie's going to be single pretty soon." Archie suggested jokingly.

"Don't even go there, Andrews." She rolled her eyes.

"Alright, come on. Hands up. Let's get back to work."

Aside from the rejection from Archie, Rory was feeling great. Training hard after shutting herself up in her room for several days proved to have done her well. After showering and changing the bandages on her neck, she heard some commotion from upstairs and decided to investigate.

"You're… Reggie, right?" Mambo shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. Rory hadn't filled him in on their complicated relationship over the past couple of years, so he wasn't sure how he should feel about him. At the sound of his name alone, the color drained from Rory's face. _How did he even know I was staying here?_

"Yeah… You're Rory's kid brother?" Reggie's voice alone sounded incredibly awkward. She could imagine the discomfort etched into his handsome features. Then… silence. She decided to save her brother.

"Reginald."

"Aurora." His jaw tightened and his eyes burned through her. It seemed as if every fight and intimate moment they shared together simultaneously rushed into his pupils, playing out before her as she gazed into them, and he only barely softened. She followed suit. He maintained the intense fire in his gaze, however. Silence.

"And that's my cue to leave." Mambo broke the silence, grabbing the keys to Rory's car from the hook by the door. Usually, Rory would protest, but she was consumed in an intense, silent staring contest with her ex-lover. With the snap of the front door closing, Rory managed to find the strength to tear her eyes away from his.

"You look good, Cupid." He smiled softly, fighting to maintain eye-contact. Rory's stomach dropped. He hadn't called her the pet-name since the very beginning of their relationship in their sophomore year.

"_You have shot me with your arrow, Cupid. I'm in deep with you." Reggie grinned. He pulled Rory into him by the belt loops of her jeans to plant a sweet kiss on her upturned lips._

He noticed her frown and shifted uncomfortably.

"Back at you, Angel Eyes," she recovered smoothly. The corners of his mouth turned upwards before returning to their former position, a straight line. The pet-name took on a whole new meaning after she showed him the ABBA song with the same title the first time they got back together. "How did you know I was here?"

"I talked to Archie. He told me you were staying here," Reggie cleared his throat. "He told me what happened, too."

"Which thing?" Rory snorted just thinking about all of the crazy shit that had happened to her since the last time they called it quits. Reggie's eyes fell to the fresh bandage on her neck, which answered her question. "Oh. Yeah," Silence again. The warm summer air blew a few strands of her hair back from her face as a particularly forceful gust pushed through the open window. "Why were you and Archie talking about me?" Rory changed the subject. Yet her own topic made her panic_. Did he tell Reggie about our conversation? Had he told him that we hooked up in the first place?_

"I came to clear the air with him after Veronica broke up with me," he chuckled awkwardly. "He made me realize that I should come to talk to you."

"What for?" She snorted.

"The more I'm around these couples, the healthy ones… Our own friends… I realize that I was awful to you, Rory. I was a terrible boyfriend, even in the beginning. All of the lying, the cheating… Everything," His head fell forward as he ran his hands over his face, seeming to be having a difficult time getting out the exact words he wanted to say. She listened to him patiently, doing her best to keep a neutral expression. "I've seen how a boyfriend is _supposed_ to be. It took me dating Veronica to see how I'm supposed to treat a girlfriend."

"Can we not talk about Veronica?" Rory sighed. She was so tired of the girl being brought up in conversations with her love interests.

"Right… Sorry," Reggie smiled softly. "I realized that I was never good enough for you. I didn't deserve you in the slightest."

"I know you didn't." Rory said slowly, careful not to lose her hold on her emotions.

"I just… I wanted to come and ask you – no, beg you – for just one final chance. One that I can promise won't be like the rest. I will treat you how you deserve to be treated. I will be faithful. I won't lie, unless it's about what I got you for your birthday or for Christmas. Just one final go around. Please." She stared at him in complete silence as she searched his face for any sign of ill-intent. He was being completely genuine and vulnerable. Yet, something was… off.

"Did Archie put you up to this?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, thinking back to his suggestion in the boxing gym earlier.

"No. I mean, he did tell me I should go for it –"

"So now that Veronica dumped you, I'm second best again? Like I have _always _been?" She could feel her blood begin to boil.

"Rory…" Before the logical side of her brain could stop her, she said the one thing that she knew would destroy his giant ego.

"Archie and I fucked." _Oh boy._

The color drained from his face completely before a vein in his forehead started to throb.

"You fucked one of my best friends? Are you serious?" He began to pace.

"I sure am." Rory dug her fingernails into her palms. _Breathe._

"While we were dating?" He asked. His face began to redden.

"Of course not. I'm not _you_. How can you even ask me that?" She snapped. She couldn't believe that he had the audacity to even come here – to ask her that. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair roughly, messing up its well-kept, gelled shape.

"Jesus, how many of my girls is he going to take?" He chuckled bitterly to himself as he looked up to the ceiling.

"How many girls are going to _leave you_ for him, you mean." Sweet Pea's voice boomed with obvious amusement as he stood tall in the open doorway. She didn't know how long he had been there. She didn't even hear the door open. What she did know, however, was that he had heard their entire conversation, due to the open window by the front door. She hadn't seen the boy since their last day of junior year a week ago when they turned in their Hamlet analysis. She remembered not being able to look at their English teacher in the eyes. Since learning that the woman preyed on a fourteen-year-old Sweet Pea and took his virginity, she probably would never be able to again.

"What are you –" Rory began to question before Reggie cut her off.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Looking for the slightly less annoying Jones." Sweet Pea replied, referring to Jughead, as he smirked in Rory's direction. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well he isn't here," Reggie stated firmly before looking to Rory to confirm. She nodded at him.

"I'll wait for him, then." He grinned as he walked past the threshold and into the living room, closer to where they were standing. Reggie's forehead vein began to throb even more. Rory shot him a warning glare, which he ignored.

"Why the fuck are you _actually_ here, man?" Reggie demanded.

"Other than to watch you get rejected? Serpent business, brother." Sweet Pea grinned as he mockingly landed on the word "brother." Suddenly, he was up against the wall being secured by the collar. His satisfied smirk never left his face as he watched the slightly shorter boy fume, until Reggie's fist connected with his jaw.

Sweet Pea's head recoiled to the side, but it immediately snapped back as he charged at him with his fist ready. It didn't take much for him to tackle Reggie to the ground. He made quick, tight swings at the other boy's chiseled jaw as he climbed on top of him, holding him down by his thin white t-shirt. They rolled around in a power struggle as Rory screamed her protests. She could feel her throat begin to raw. Reggie's foot knocked against an end table in the struggle, causing the lamp to fall and shatter into pieces on the hardwood.

The front door flew open, revealing Mambo and Jughead's panicked expressions. They bolted toward the brawl taking place in the middle of the living room. Mambo pulled Reggie backward, sliding him from underneath the Serpent. Jughead gripped and tugged Sweet Pea upward by the neck of his jean vest. Reggie's face was the deepest shade of red that Rory had ever seen it, but his nemesis's devilish grin was as wide as it could be, a fire burning in his eyes. Rory, on the other hand, was more irate than Reggie could ever _dream_ of being.


	14. Chapter 14

Thirteen

_Jughead released Sweet Pea from the restrictive hold on the denim of his vest. The two boys continued with a screaming match as Mambo and Jughead watched cautiously on standby, ready to intervene again if necessary._

"_Are you done with your tantrum? You look like your dad when that vein pops out in your forehead." Sweet Pea taunted with a snort. Jughead feigned a cough to conceal his laughter at the mention of the hotheaded boy's father. As if on cue, Reggie's vein throbbed as he lunged forward yet again and knocked Sweet Pea backward onto the stairs. Reggie turned to Rory, spewing venom that she didn't pay attention to, and suddenly Reggie was being knocked backward onto the ground. Everything seemed to happen too quickly for Rory to keep up._

"_Rory, get him out of here now!" Jughead boomed authoritatively, referring to the brawny Serpent that he was struggling to restrain. Sweet Pea thrashed against her cousin's hold as he shouted expletives at the now unconscious Bulldog on the hardwood of the living room. Rory was sure that he would have still been on top of Reggie if Jughead was not currently holding him in place. _

"_He's still breathing, at least," Mambo informed Jughead through gritted teeth. "He wouldn't be if I had gotten to him first."_

Rory splashed her face with water and exhaled slowly in an attempt to calm herself. She didn't know why she and Sweet Pea had begrudgingly turned into each other's keepers, or why Jughead couldn't have taken care of his own gang member. _He's probably blackmailing Reggie into not pressing charges._ Rory snorted to herself as she pat her face dry with a paper towel. She exited the bathroom and made her way toward the table that Sweet Pea was sitting — or rather, pouting — at. Pop's was the only neutral meeting place that she could think of going, even though Sweet Pea gave her no choice in their destination when they sped off on his motorcycle. She slid into the booth; Sweet Pea avoided eye contact. Veronica practically pranced over to their table, tray on her shoulder and a grin on her face. _None of this would have happened if she wasn't ping-ponging between Archie and Reggie._

"Here is your strawberry milkshake." She beamed as she placed the glass in front of her. Rory furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at the perfect swirl of whipped cream topped with a cherry.

"Veronica, I didn't order this." Rory stated quizzically. Veronica's eyes flicked over to Sweet Pea and then back to her. Rory nodded slowly, shifting her eyes to study his face.

"Are you guys ready to order?" Veronica asked as she flipped her notepad open.

"We need a few minutes." Sweet Pea mumbled, though he and Rory both knew what they wanted already. He just wanted her to leave them alone. It was the first thing he had said at all since they left the house. The skin around his left eye began to darken and gleam a deep shade of purple in the light.

"Do you at least want something to drink for now?" Rory asked him, noticing that Veronica had only brought the milkshake over to them. Sweet Pea did not reply but simply turned his head to look out into the dimly lit parking lot. She rolled her eyes. She hated having to baby the last person that she could want to spend her night with, but she felt somewhat responsible for the fight even though she knew that she wasn't. "Would you just bring him a water for now, please? Maybe an ice pack, too, if you have one?" Rory requested with a small smile. She muttered her thanks as Veronica sauntered off toward the kitchen. The tension in the air was thick, seemingly suffocating, as the silence grew longer. "How did you know that I order a strawberry milkshake?" She asked. Sweet Pea shrugged.

"Lucky guess, I suppose. You seem like a strawberry milkshake kind of girl," he mumbled unconvincingly. She narrowed her eyes as she studied his face, but decided to let it go. She took a large sip of the creamy dessert and she signed in relief at the welcomed sweetness. A faint smile crept onto his face as he maintained his gaze into the night. "Taste good?" He asked amusedly. His voice bounced off of the glass of the window he was facing.

"I really needed this. Thank you for your… _Lucky guess, I suppose._" She prodded with a cheeky smirk. He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably in his side of the booth so he was facing her.

"So, maybe it wasn't just a lucky guess," he began awkwardly. She raised a brow. "Every time we are here at the same time, you seem to always get the same thing. A strawberry milkshake and eggs with bacon and hash browns," Rory cocked her head to the side in amusement. He sighed and rubbed his face with both hands. "I know that sounds beyond creepy."

"Have you been watching me, Sweet Pea?" She suppressed her laughter as she watched him squirm.

"No," he replied a bit too quickly. "No. I'm just very observant of my surroundings. Don't flatter yourself, _princess._"

"I didn't peg you as the paranoid type." She teased, taking another sip of her milkshake.

"I'm not." He grumbled defensively with an eyeroll. Veronica returned with a glass of ice water and a bag of frozen peas.

"We didn't have an icepack. I hope this is okay," she chuckled. Rory smiled in response as she took the bag from her. "Are you guys ready to order?" Rory shifted her focus back to Sweet Pea, silently urging him to order first.

"I'll have a deluxe bacon burger with fries, and I'm _guessing_ she will have –" Sweet Pea smirked before she cut him off.

"I'll have the…" Rory fumbled with the menu, desperate to prove Sweet Pea wrong. She ordered the first thing her eyes landed on. "Deluxe bacon burger with fries, as well. No lettuce or tomatoes, please." He grinned at her.

"So… The _regular_ bacon burger." Veronica chuckled to herself as she crossed out what she had previously written. Sweet Pea narrowed his eyes at her, not liking her snarky tone.

"No," he began, folding his arms over his chest. "A deluxe bacon burger with no lettuce or tomatoes." Veronica blinked at hi, before clearing her throat. She snapped the notepad closed.

"Your food will be out shortly." She plastered a fake smile on her face as she excused herself.

"You're so annoying," Rory groaned as soon as Veronica was out of earshot. Sweet Pea shrugged; a familiar smirk graced his handsome face. "Why did you do that?"

"She was being rude and I don't like her." He stated, taking a sip of water. Rory slid the bag of peas across the table and gave him a look. He rolled his eyes before bringing the bag to his bruising skin. He winced.

"_You_ were the one being rude," she sighed. "I thought you two were cool? I mean, the Serpents worked for her at one point."

"Professional courtesy," he winced again as he repositioned the bag on his face. "She's too pretentious. It's like… It's like everything that I hate about the Northside is packed into one person. Same thing with your _boyfriend_ for the most part." He teased.

"He is _not_ my boyfriend," she huffed. "Not anymore," she stared down at the table for the few minutes of silence between the pair. When she finally looked up again, Sweet Pea's eyes were still on her, his gaze soft. She wasn't familiar with the expression he wore, but he seemed to be deep in thought. His expression hardened once again once he realized she was staring at him. "Why did you go after him again after Jughead and Mambo separated the two of you?" He blinked at her, not expecting Rory to ask a question with a seemingly obvious answer.

"Aside from him tackling me again? Because of what he said to you afterward."

"What did he say?" She furrowed her brow and searched her memory for anything that would have set off both him _and_ Mambo. Nothing.

"I'm definitely not repeating it."

"Sweet Pea," Rory groaned. "Just say it!" He stared at her blankly. His discomfort was growing with each second that passed. "When have you ever passed up an opportunity to insult me?" She snorted. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"_What are you, some kind of Southside slut now? Fucking every guy that you see? Did you fuck Sweet Pea and Fangs, too? Did they all take turns on you?"_ Sweet Pea snarled lowly and almost robotically, as if the words had been burned into his brain. Rory winced before slumping her shoulders and shaking her head.

"When he's mad, he just sees red. He says things that –"

"That he doesn't mean?" He raised an eyebrow. He looked amused. She shrugged, feeling embarrassed for making excuses for him. "Do you honestly think that he didn't mean any of that?" He asked. Her mouth twitched downward into a frown.

"I guess he was right… At least a little bit." She sighed, anxiously running her hands over her arms to comfort herself. Sweet Pea's face contorted in disgust.

"So, sleeping with a total of three people, including him, is 'every guy you see?' Oh, please. He probably sleeps with three people within a week. Reggie Mantle doesn't know jack shit about anything. Get fucking real." He grumbled. He was growing increasingly more annoyed, especially since he didn't want to talk about this in the first place.

"So, you knocked him out because he brought your name into it?" She scoffed. _Of course._

"Partly," he paused. She raised a brow. "No Serpent stands alone."

"I'm not a Serpent." Rory reminded him with an exasperated sigh.

"Legacy." He countered, a smirk once again taking its rightful place on his face. She rolled her eyes. An uncomfortable silence set in, and neither of them were in any hurry to break it. Sweet Pea drummed his fingers on the table rhythmically before letting out a short wheeze of a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Rory asked monotonously. He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "Just say it, Sweet Pea. Fuck's sake." He rolled his eyes and motioned between the two of them.

"This is the longest and calmest conversation that we have ever had," he chuckled to himself. She shrugged, not seeing the humor in the situation. "I mean, I'm impressed that we haven't tried to rip out each other's jugular by now."

"It's only been so easy because you're being incredibly cooperative for once in your life." She simpered. He furrowed his eyebrows and reached across the table for her melting milkshake. He stirred it around with the straw before taking a sip, ignoring Rory's protests.

"I'm always cooperative. I don't know what you're trying to say." Sweet Pea grinned. It was Rory's turn to laugh. She snatched her milkshake back while he was mid-sip, causing the liquid to sputter from the straw and drip down his chin. He narrowed his eyes at her as he cleaned himself up with a napkin. A waitress, that was not Veronica, waddled over to the booth with a tray full of food. Rory wasn't paying too much attention, but from the bits and pieces she had gathered, the waitress would be taking care of their needs for the rest of the night instead of Veronica. Sweet Pea displayed a satisfied grin as Rory glowered at him. He laid the pleasantries on thick, saying "please" and "thank you" to everything that the woman was saying. Rory swore that she had never heard him act so polite. Once the waitress excused herself, Sweet Pea took a large bite out of his burger.

"Are you pleased with yourself?" She scoffed. He raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "You made Veronica switch tables." He gave her a wide grin to the best of his ability, considering his mouth was full of food.

"I'm very pleased." He stated simply. The bell of the diner's door dinged, but it was only when the light faded from Sweet Pea's eyes that Rory turned her head to investigate. A very lost-looking Kevin Keller stepped up to the counter and placed an order to-go. She tried to do her best to distract him.

"You know, if you were always so compliant, maybe we could have been… Friends, or something." Rory stated before taking a bite out of her burger. His dark eyes shifted focus back onto her, and for a second, it looked as if he were about to burst into laughter.

"Me and you? Friends?" He snorted. "That could never happen." He popped a couple of fries into his mouth after dipping them in ketchup and sat back with his arms folded over his chest.

"Why is that, exactly?" She furrowed her eyebrows. She tried her best not to show that she was offended.

"Friends don't fuck."

"Don't worry, that will never happen again."

"We still couldn't be friends. Ever." He stared at her blankly before scoffing and muttering something inaudibly under his breath. _Whatever._ Sweet Pea moved to grab the melting bag of peas, but froze. He balled his fists to the point of his knuckles turning white. Kevin cautiously shuffled up to their table. His eyes were red and swollen, and it was obvious that he'd been crying. Rory gave him a somewhat surprised smile. Since Kevin returned from The Farm, he had mostly been keeping to himself. Before Rory could say anything, Kevin opened his mouth to speak.

"Sweet Pea –" his voice broke before he could get the words out. Sweet Pea kept his cold stare straight ahead, his knuckles somehow getting whiter. "I – about Fangs…" Sweet Pea's gaze met Rory's; his eyes were wild as his nostrils flared. She could tell that he was trying to stay calm, but he was quickly losing his cool. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry." That was it. That sentence is what made Sweet Pea snap. Sweet Pea sprang from the bench of the booth and fisted the fabric of Kevin's tank top, pushing him back roughly until he was bent backward over the diner counter.

"Sorry? You're _sorry_? You're lucky there are people around, because if they weren't, you would be leaving here with a broken nose," Sweet Pea snarled, pushing him back further to get in his face. "My best friend is who-fucking-knows-where with who-fucking-knows-who! You _brain-washed_ him, Keller. You took him away from us. Now he's gone and you're the only one that's left? Bullshit. You know where they are. You know where he fucking is. So yeah, you're sorry? No, _I'm_ the one that's sorry – sorry for trusting _you_ with one of the few people I fucking cared about." Sweet Pea released Kevin and quickly wiped the tears that were escaping his eyes. He fished a crisp twenty-dollar bill from his back pocket and slammed it down on the counter, making Kevin flinch, before pushing past the crowd that had formed and out the door. Kevin wiped his eyes and grabbed his to-go bag before hastily exiting as well, leaving Rory wide-eyed and stranded at the diner.


	15. Chapter 15

Fourteen

Usually rain this heavy would keep Sweet Pea from going out on his bike, but his mind was everywhere else as his motorcycle sped along the slick, winding road. His mind was racing, filled with fresh memories that also called back to some that weren't as recent. His friends, his decisions… Aurora Jones. _"You know, if you were always so compliant, maybe we could have been… friends, or something."_ He snorted at the memory of her remark. _"Me and you, friends? That could never happen."_ It was true. They could never be friends, though even _he_ wasn't sure why not. He didn't know why he couldn't get her out of his head. He had completely avoided her for the better part of two months since the incident at the diner. He felt a little guilty for leaving her stranded, but maybe not as guilty as he should have felt. _Yes, you do._ However, he didn't want to apologize. _You should have apologized the night of the cookout._ He shook his subconscious out of his head and regained focus on the road, not wanting to remember the belated Fourth of July celebration that the Serpents hosted in Tent City. It was a bittersweet celebration, considering the sudden and unexpected passing of Fred Andrews a week prior. _Fred Andrews_. The funeral blurred together in his mind. The memories of the caring, helpful man that took the clan in when they had nowhere else to go. The omnipresent, uncomfortable ache of loss that seemed to never go away. He felt sick and stupid for the way he mourned a man that he barely knew, but unprecedented kindness without expecting something in return was scarce in his life. He thought of everyone who knew him better; he thought of Archie, of Jughead, of Betty, and of Rory. _The way she cried at the funeral._ He shook his head more forcefully, much more so that his bike swerved. "Fuck!" He did his best not to overcorrect and steadied himself once more. After a few more minutes of hyper-focused steering, he reached his destination.

The crunch of boots against damp gravel was the only distinguishable sound in dead air as he shifted from one foot to the other outside of the modest house. _No, not house… home._ This was home – well, it may as well have been home for Sweet Pea. He had spent a lot of his time here over the years; but now that Fangs was… gone, the time he spent here was brief and as few and far between as he could handle_. If a Serpent is killed or imprisoned, their family will be taken care of_, he repeated in his head. _Or in this case… Missing_. He flipped an envelope over in his hand to open it for the seventh time, thumbing through the bills to make sure it was all there. A hand patted him on the shoulder, startling him, and he immediately spun on his heel with his fist raised. _Jughead?_

"I didn't mean to catch you off guard. I thought you saw me pull up." Jughead raised his hands as he waited for Sweet Pea to release his shirt. Sweet Pea let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as he bent down to pick up the envelope. He brushed the dirt from the outside, drops of water streaking across it as it soaked into the paper. He stood up a bit straighter than before and waved Jughead's apology off.

"How did you know I was here?"

"It's Thursday." Jughead stated easily with a shrug. Sweet Pea sighed, poking his tongue into his cheek, and shifted his gaze up into the trees. Despite everything that was going on, the easy sway of the branches lessened the tightness in his chest. Here it was calm, peaceful.

"Keeping tabs on me, Jones?" He grumbled in faux annoyance.

"Wouldn't you do the same?" Jughead challenged as he folded his arms and leaned back against his bike, sizing up the taller boy. Sweet Pea shrugged, mirroring his movements. He avoided Jughead's gaze. "I need to talk to you about a couple of things."

"It couldn't have waited? You couldn't have texted me?" Sweet Pea questioned. This was not the time for Serpent business; and since Jughead seemed to already know what he was doing here, he knew that. The teenage Serpent King simply shook his head, earning an eye roll from his right-hand man.

"Where'd you get all of that? Don't tell me it's all from working at the comic book shop." Jughead pressed, nodding toward the bulging envelope in Sweet Pea's grasp. Sweet Pea hastily tucked it into the pocket inside his jean vest, scoffing at his friend and avoiding his intense stare. He ignored his question as he pushed himself upright from his bike and swaggered toward the front door, knocking twice and waiting a brief moment before letting himself in. Jughead followed suit a few steps behind. Lena Fogarty greeted the pair with a bottle of hand sanitizer at the ready. Jughead was slightly taken aback but obliged, remembering the state of Mrs. Fogarty's health.

"So, you decided to come inside this time around to grace us with your presence," Lena poked, giving Sweet Pea a hardened frown before cracking a grin. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as they embraced. "You must be Jughead. I'm Lena." She extended her hand. Her handshake was firmer than he expected. Jughead made a barely audible squeak in the back of his throat at the greeting as she tightened her grip. Sweet Pea smirked as he watched on.

"Good to meet you. I'm sorry I didn't come in sooner. I hope you guys have been getting the groceries I've been dropping off." Jughead straightened with the release of his hand from her grasp. They engaged in small talk that Sweet Pea quickly tuned out. He left the pair to awkwardly converse as he made his way through the doorway to the small kitchen on the left of the entrance.

"What are you making?" Sweet Pea's voice boomed as he leaned against the doorframe. The small, fragile woman jumped, spinning to face him with a hand over her heart. Her startled features relaxed at the sight of him, but this didn't stop her from whacking him with a wooden spoon. He recoiled slightly, but laughter and joy filled his lungs as she shouted at him.

"Don't you know not to sneak up on the ill?" She huffed, smacking him once more on the arm for good measure. He chuckled in response and pulled her into his chest. She squeezed him tight and stepped back. She brought a hand to cup his cheek. "I didn't think I would lose both of you at once. I've missed you, my son." He softened and leaned into her palm. His chest constricted at the sight of her pained eyes.

"I'm sorry I disappeared, Marie." He rasped. Her face twisted slightly as she turned back toward the steamer basket. She stayed silent. His thoughts ran a mile a minute as he shifted his weight onto his other leg and rubbed the back of his neck. It was wrong for him to stay away, and it was not fair to her. She practically took on the role of the loving mother in his life.

"You and your friend are staying for dinner," She finally spoke after what felt like hours of silence. It wasn't a suggestion. Sweet Pea nodded eagerly in response. "Set the table."

Dinner started off a bit awkwardly as the Fogarty women practically interrogated Jughead to get to know him better. Jughead was surprisingly holding his own and definitely not as awkward as he used to be. He seemed to finally be stepping into what usually came with leadership: the ability to speak to anyone with confidence. "This is delicious, Mrs. Fogarty. What is it?" He asked with a grin.

"Jamaican curry goat bao. It's a recipe my husband and I came up with when we got married, like a way of fusing our cultures and lives together." She smiled wide, then it suddenly began to fade as she lingered on the memory of her deceased husband. Lena shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat, focusing her attention on Sweet Pea.

"So, Sweet Pea, still a delinquent?" Lena smirked as she shoveled a forkful of rice into her mouth. She said this specifically to push Sweet Pea's buttons since her brother was in the same gang as he was; she clearly paid this fact no mind.

"_Lena._" Mrs. Fogarty warned, half present in the conversation.

"Hey, Lena, how is that dishonorable discharge treating you?" Sweet Pea grinned, the devil in his eye, as he fired back playfully. Lena's brows shot up and she raised her glass to him before taking a sip and striking his shin with her foot under the table. Mrs. Fogarty snapped back to reality and her fork clattered as it hit her plate.

"Sweet Pea! Lena!" She barked, followed by something Jughead couldn't understand, but it was enough to make the pair shrink in their seats. Her attempt to not bring attention to her annoyance by speaking in a different tongue had the opposite effect she had desired. The rest of the meal was consumed with uncomfortable silence.

After dinner, Sweet Pea and Jughead said their goodbyes. Jughead exited the house while Sweet Pea hung back, pulling Mrs. Fogarty aside. He reached into the inside of his jean vest to retrieve the full envelope and handed it to her. She furrowed her brows as she went to open it. Her eyes widened. "What is this? I cannot keep taking money from you!"

"Just take it."

"Where did you get this?" She questioned frantically, trying to put the envelope back in his palm. He gently took hold of her hands and wrapped them around the envelope, pushing it toward her.

"Take it," His voice strained as he pleaded, his eyes soft. She opened her mouth to protest once more, but stopped when he gently squeezed her hands. "Please." She hesitantly nodded once after a long moment, then stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

"Your bed is still here when you want it. Please don't be a stranger." She said softly. His mind wandered to the rollaway trundle bed that they would set up in Fangs' room whenever he would stay over before, which was more often than not. He thought of all the times they'd bullshit together; talking about girls, eventually boys, once Fangs was ready to share that part of himself, and listening to Earth, Wind & Fire vinyls and debating which record of their discography was the best. He wouldn't be able to go in that room anytime soon, not while Fangs was still… _gone_. It would hurt too much.

"I'll come to stay sometime soon." Sweet Pea forced a smile and nodded, lying through his teeth.

* * *

Jughead fiddled with a toothpick as he leaned against his bike. Sweet Pea walked down the driveway to meet him and they stood together in silence for a few moments before Sweet Pea cleared his throat. "So, are you going to get to the reason you're here in the first place, or what?"

Jughead sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Charles and Betty might have a lead on The Farm. They might have a lead on Fangs, specifically." He stated, carefully eyeing the taller boy for his reaction. Sweet Pea's jaw clenched and unclenched. He narrowed his eyes and examined Jughead's face to make sure he wasn't making some type of sick joke.

"How?"

"Kevin."

"_Keller! _I fucking knew it," Sweet Pea pushed off his bike and tugged at his hair, walking a few feet before turning back toward him. "Why aren't we telling this to _his family_?" Sweet Pea asked incredulously. He spun on his heel and made his way toward the front door. Jughead dropped his toothpick and quickly lunged to jump in front of Sweet Pea, trying to stop him by pushing his shoulders. Sweet Pea shoved him back and struggled to remove him from his path. "Get the fuck out of my way, Jones!"

"Sweet Pea!" Jughead hissed, pushing him back roughly and shushing him. "Do you really want to break their hearts all over again if this falls through or hits a dead end?" He tried to reason with him. Sweet Pea stopped struggling and turned to walk back toward his bike. He sunk to the ground and slumped forward, cradling his head in his hands.

"But what about _me_?" Sweet Pea rasped. He normally would have kept a brave face around Jughead, but he was so tired of pretending he was okay. Plus, there was no sense in hiding his feelings from Jughead if he already knew them nonetheless. Jughead sighed and walked over to sit down beside him. He clapped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed reassuringly.

"Not even Toni knows. I needed you to know at the very least. Charles and Betty might need you if it comes down to it, you know?" Jughead explained. Sweet Pea sniffed and nodded. They sat in comfortable silence as they gazed up at the sky. The clouds had cleared and the stars glimmered brightly against the darkness of the night. Being further away from a big city had its perks, and one of them was the lack of light pollution. After about fifteen minutes, not a word between them the whole time, Jughead spoke again. "One more thing we need to talk about…" Sweet Pea hummed, waiting for him to get on with it.

"I think Rory should join the Serpents."

"What, why? No." Sweet Pea scoffed.

"She pretends that she's alright but I hear her having nightmares when I'm up late writing every night. Even though the Black Hood is dead and gone, I know she doesn't feel safe. If I end up going to Stonewall Prep, I need her to have some sense of security since I'll be gone." Jughead tried to reason with him.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Jones. She isn't one of us. She shrugs off the Serpent title every chance she gets. No." Sweet Pea protested.

"Listen, Sweet Pea, this is going to happen whether you like it or not. It would go a lot smoother if you were on board. I need her to agree to it as well and that won't happen if she feels like she's not welcome. Besides, she's had a rough go of it and doesn't have many people that she can rely on. Think of how _our_ lives have changed simply from being a part of a family that always wants us." Jughead suggested firmly. Sweet Pea groaned and tugged at his hair. She was somehow infiltrating every aspect of his life and he was beginning to lose ways of escaping. "Are you disagreeing on behalf of the Serpents or on behalf of yourself?"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Sweet Pea fired back defensively.

"I know that you kissed her." Jughead proclaimed. He wasn't asking, and he wasn't talking about the kiss during the game, the one in the Serpent HQ all those months ago. How did he know? How did he find out? He knew that Rory would _never_ tell Jughead. Sweet Pea's stomach dropped and he faltered, but only slightly. _Right… kissed._ Images of tangled limbs, lips on neck, hands in hair, face between thighs. "That's all that happened, right?"_ No, that was not all that happened – not even close._

"Yes," Sweet Pea lied, maintaining eye contact as unsuspiciously he could muster. He could lie to cops with ease – surely it would be a walk in the park to lie to Jughead Jones. Jughead searched his face for a few lingering seconds before deciding that he was telling the truth. Sweet Pea bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smirking, satisfied by the rush of getting away with a forbidden lie. He regained his composure. "Nothing to worry about, Jones. We were drunk." He lied again. He was pressing his luck here, he knew it, but that first part wasn't a lie. There was nothing to worry about. Up until the funeral and cookout a couple of weeks prior, he hadn't had any contact with her in months. Their days of hate-sex were over, weren't they?


End file.
